Caught Between Two Love's
by jld829
Summary: BRUCAS & BRULIAN- Brooke mysterious left in season 3, but no one knew why. Now season 5, Brooke comes back to Tree Hill bringing more than herself. She has a 5 year old daughter, with her first love Lucas Scott, but she never told anyone. Now Brooke must choose between the father of her child and the boy who stole her heart years ago, or choosing the man she's fallen in love with.
1. Five Years Later

**Hi everyone. This is my first attempt at a Brucas fanfic, so be nice. This idea came to me, so I figured I'd write it down.**

 **A few things you need to know: Brooke left junior year (Season 3). When she left, she was pregnant, but didn't tell anyone. Victoria helped Brooke, but told her to keep the child secret for the sake of Brooke's budding company. When Peyton and Lucas broke up, Peyton came to apologized to Brooke and found out about her daughter. So Brooke and Peyton became friends again.**

 **Skips forward almost five years later. The beginning of season 5, Lucas is dating Lindsay. Same thing with the Nathan and Haley drama. Peyton is in LA.**

 **Brooke is in New York, raising her five year old daughter, all while being the owner of her multi-million dollar company, Clothes over Bros.**

 **I don't own One Tree Hill, only Isabella Davis**

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Brooke hit her alarm clock. She looked at the time _6:30_ , she tiredly got out of bed. She had been up late at a fashion show the night before, and didn't get to bed until midnight. But she couldn't sleep in, she had a meeting with the company at eight, and still had to get her daughter up and ready.

So she got herself showered and dressed for the day. When she finished her makeup and hair, she walked across the hall of her luxurious New York apartment, and into her five year old daughter's bedroom. She turned on the light, and went over to her bed. She smiled, seeing her daughter's sleeping peacefully. She sat on her bed, and gently shook her. "Bella, time to get up" she said, in a warm motherly tone.

"Too early" the five year old mumbled back, trying to hide under the covers.

"Come on" Brooke coaxed, "Bella". But Isabella kept hiding under the covers, and started laughing.

"Isabella Davis" Brooke laughed, pulling the covers back, and revealed her giggling daughter. "What's so funny missy?" she asked, while tickling Isabella.

"Mama, stop" Isabella laughed. Brooke stopped, and Isabella looked at her and smile. Isabella had Brooke's brown hair and bubbly personality, but she had gotten her father's fierce blue eyes, and signature smile. Whenever Brooke looked those baby blue eyes, she saw her first love. The boy she hadn't seen in five years. The boy she had ran away from.

"Good morning, lovey" she said, giving her a hug.

Isabella hugged her mom back, "Morning Mama".

"Alright" Brooke said, standing up. "You need to get dressed, and I'm going to get your breakfast ready".

"But mommy, I'm too tired" Isabella sighed.

"Well if you hurry, we can stop Starbucks and get you breakfast" Brooke bribed, knowing that was Isabella's favorite breakfast.

"Really?"

"Yep, now hurry" she laughed, leaving the room.

"Baby Davis, what's taking so long?"

"I'm coming" Isabella said, coming out of her room. She was wearing a pink skirt, a white shirt with a design on it, and silver sandals. She was the spitting image of her mother.

"All ready?" Brooke asked, holding out Isabella's purse. She was taking Isabella to her daycare. She went to one of the most expensive daycare in New York. But Brooke also had nannies for her, to take care of her when she had events or public relations she had to go to.

"Yeah" she took her B. Davis purse from Brooke. "So I was thinking" Brooke suggested, "That we could go to central park after my meeting?"

"Can we go down the slide?" Isabella asked.

"Yep"

"Yay!" she shrieked. Brooke winced at the high pitched-ness. "Ok, ok. Let's get moving" Brooke said, guiding her five year old out of the apartment.

* * *

Brooke was sitting at her desk, looking over sketches for the fall line they were about to premiere, when Millie came in her office. "Isabella's daycare called" she announced.

"What did they say?"

"They raised the monthly price again, but it's ok. I sent them a check, and took care of it" she said. Millie knew all about Isabella, she was the one that took care of all Isabella's needs regarding daycare and school, but she also made sure that the public didn't know about her.

"Thanks Millie" Brooke smiled, what would she do without Millie.

"Oh, and here" she said, handing Brooke a portfolio, "Here are the finished sketches for your meeting at noon". Brooke looked up at her confused. "What presentation?"

"The one with the CEO of…" she was looking through the file in her hand.

"Millie! I was going to take Bella to central park this afternoon" Brooke protested.

"But Victoria scheduled this. She took me that under no circumstances that you miss it"

"Agh! Fine" Brooke sighed, but she felt terrible about letting Bella down. She was really looking forward to spending some time with her daughter, and getting away from work for an afternoon, but that would have to wait.

* * *

Brooke and Victoria sat in the limo. They had just left Brooke's 'date' on a sidewalk, after they had gone to a movie premiere. Victoria was talking about the company, but Brooke's mind was on her daughter.

"We have an important meeting tomorrow morning at seven-thirty" Victoria informed.

"Mom" Brooke protested, "I was going to take the morning off. I've barely spent any time with Bella this week"

"She's fine. You have that nanny, remember"

"I don't want her being raised by a nanny"

"Why" Victoria more stated than asked, "You had a nanny, and look how you turned out. You own your multi-million dollar company at twenty-one"

"She needs a mom". If anything, Brooke had always tried to be there for Isabella. She tried to be the best parent for her, nothing Brooke had as a child. Brooke didn't want Isabella to only have a nanny. But with her crazy work schedule, and having to be an event practically every night, Brooke relied on nannies a lot.

"Brooke, you have to be there" Victoria said, closing the subject. Brooke just sighed, and looked out the window at the night life in New York City.

* * *

When Brooke walked into her apartment, it was almost eleven. She saw Isabella sitting on the couch, in her pajamas, watching a movie. It wasn't shocking to Brooke that Isabella wasn't in bed, Bella would often be up late, waiting for her Mama to come home. So Brooke set her bags down, and walked farther into the apartment. "Why isn't she in bed?" Brooke asked the nanny Rosalie.

"Miss Isabella refused. She insisted that you put her to bed"

"Alright, I'll take care of it"

"What time do you need me here tomorrow?"

Brooke thought about her meeting in the morning. Though she didn't want to go, Victoria would have her neck if she didn't show. "Seven"

"See you at seven, Ms. Davis. Goodnight" Rosalie said, getting her bag.

When the nanny left, Brooke walked over to Isabella. She grabbed the remote off the couch, and turned off the movie.

"Mommy" Isabella whined, "It wasn't over yet"

"Bedtime"

"Mom" she protested.

"Nope, none of that" Brooke said, picking her up. "Come on Bella, its bedtime" she carried her in Isabella's room. Brooke laid Bella under her covers, and then went on the other side, and laid down beside her. This was her and Isabella's time special time they had together. "So how was your day, Baby Davis?"

"Good, we painted today"

"Oh' did you make me a picture?"

"Ah huh" she answered, playing with Brooke's bracelet. It was quiet between them for a moment, Brooke was trying to relax from the stress of work, and Isabella was looking at the diamond in the bracelet. "Mama" Isabella said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah sweetie"

"Why didn't we go to the park?" she asked innocently.

"Honey I'm sorry. You know—"

"You had work" Isabella finished, that's what her mama always said.

Brooke felt her heart drop. She knew that she told Isabella that often, too often. Was she turning into her mother? Never having time for her daughter, and being at work all the time.

Well she knew right then and there that she and Isabella needed to take a vacation, get away from the company for a little while. Have some mommy-daughter time. And Brooke knew the exact place she wanted to go.

Tree Hill.

 **This chapter was more showing how Brooke and Isabella's life is like in New York. Should I continue? Please Review!**


	2. The places we ran away from

**All I can say is THANK YOU for all the reviews. I can't believe I got that many on my first chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own one tree hill, just Isabella Scott.**

Brooke and Isabella were at the airport. They were sitting on a bench, waiting.

"Mama" Isabella said, setting her DS game down.

"What baby?"

"This doesn't look like Milan?" she said, looking around. Isabella had traveled a lot in her five years, and she had been to Italy plenty of time. But when she was looking around, it, it didn't look anything like the Milan airport.

Brooke laughed, "This isn't Milan, Bella"

"Then where are we?"

"We, my dear Isabella, are in Tree Hill" Brooke answered smiling. She was happy to be back, it had been five years since she had been back to her hometown. But she was also caught with the emotion of it all. All the memories of the people she left behind came flooding back to her; the happiness, the hurt, all the drama and heartbreak. All of it, including the memories of the boy she ran away from.

"What's Tree Hill?" Isabella asked.

"The place where I grew up"

"Oh, okay" Isabella said, satisfied with the answer, she went playing on her DS.

Brooke smiled at her daughter. Isabella was such a smart child, she was curious about everything, like most five year olds were. But the thing that made her different, was that she noticed things, things that most kids didn't. Brooke knew that Isabella got that from her father.

When Brooke looked up from Bella, she saw a familiar face. "Hey Bella" she nudged her gently, "Look who I found?"

Isabella looked up, and her eyes got wide with excitement. "Aunt Peyton" she squealed, setting her game down, and running to her Aunt. Peyton set down her bags, and opened her arms to her five year old niece. She picked her up, "Hey Izzy" she greeted, using one of Isabella's many nicknames.

"Hi Aunt Peyton" Bella hugged back, then she looked at Peyton, "I haven't seen you for a long time"

"Yeah I know. But I've been working"

"At the label?" Isabella asked.

"Sure" Peyton answered, putting Bella back down to her feet. She then walked over and hugged her best friend's awaiting arms. "I've missed you B. Davis"

"I've missed you too, P. Sawyer" Brooke said. Then they felt little arms wrap around them. Brooke looked down and saw her daughter hugging them both. "Ha" Brooke laughed. Then she let go of Peyton and went to grab her bags. Brooke gathered up her and Bella's things, and stood by Peyton, facing the doors.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Peyton asked.

"I'm ready" Brooke stated, then she grabbed her daughter's hand, and together the three of them walked out of the airport.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke, Peyton and Isabella were walking into Nathan and Haley's backyard. There they saw Haley sitting on a patio chair, and a little boy playing basketball. "Well, well" Peyton exclaimed. Haley turned, and saw the three. "Oh my God" Haley exclaimed, getting up from her chair and running to them. She gave both of them a huge hug. "God, Brooke, how long has it been?" Haley asked, she never thought that she'd see Brooke Davis again.

Brooke squeezed her daughter's hand, "Five years"

Haley looked down at the little girl standing beside Brooke. Something about her looked familiar. "And who's this?" she asked curiously.

"This is my daughter, Isabella" she introduced, "Bella, can you say hi"

"Hi" Isabella said shyly, hiding behind Brooke.

"Daughter?" Haley asked shocked. Brooke smiled, and nodded her head. "Well there is someone you should meet" Haley stated, "Jamie can you come over here". The little boy ran to Haley. Haley picked him up and said, "This is my son, Jamie"

"Yeah, Peyton told me you had a son" Brooke informed, "Hi Jamie"

"Hi" he smiled.

"So how have you been?" Haley asked Brooke.

"Good. Very busy" Brooke laughed.

"Gosh, it's been a long time Brooke" Haley said again.

"Yeah, I know but I—"Brooke was interrupted by Bella and Jamie giggling at each other. When Haley saw Isabella smile, she knew who the father was. Those eyes, that smile. She'd recognize them any day. So she set Jamie down and said "Hey Jamie, why don't you and Isabella go play. You can show her the basketball"

Jamie smiled, and started to run off, but stop and turned, waiting for Bella. Isabella looked up at Brooke for approval. "Go on, go play" Brooke said. So Isabella ran with Jamie over to the basketball hoop.

"Here, let's sit down" Haley offered. So Brooke, Peyton and Haley went over and sat down at the patio table. "So Daughter, how um…how did that happen?" Haley asked.

"I got pregnant in high school" Brooke stated.

"I'm guessing that's the reason why you left without telling anyone?" Haley said, connecting the dots.

"Yep"

"Does her dad know about her?" Haley asked.

"No. I haven't told him yet"

"Brooke, you have to tell Lucas. He needs to know"

Brooke looked at Haley shocked. How did she figure it out already? "How did you—"

"How did I know Lucas was her father? Please, Brooke. She might have your hair color, but I would recognize those eyes and that smile anywhere"

"Haley just don't tell him, please" Brooke begged. She knew she would have to tell Lucas sooner or later, but she wanted to tell him.

"Brooke, you have to tell him"

"I know and I promise I will, but just don't tell him yet, okay?"

"Fine" Haley promised.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Mama, look at the boats" Isabella exclaimed. Brooke and Peyton had taken Bella to the pier, to do the sightseeing. Isabella was currently looking at the boats, leaning over the rails, but Brooke was holding her.

"I know baby, aren't they huge"

"Their bigger than our a-tartment" Bella said, mispronouncing the word apartment in her little voice. Brooke and Peyton both laughed.

Lucas Scott was walking by the pier, hand in hand with his girlfriend Lindsay. Lindsay was talking to him about how he needed to start writing again. Lucas was half listening to her, but completely stopped listening and he felt his heart skip a beat. There is his view was the girl he thought he'd never see again. The girl who stole his heart years ago, who left and never told him why. The girl who broke his heart.

Brooke Davis.

He started walking over to her, ignoring Lindsay's questions. He continued walking but stopped confused. Brooke was holding a little girl, who looked about five. And Peyton Sawyer was standing by her too.

"Lucas Scott, what is going on?" Lindsay asked.

"One minute" Lucas said annoyed, letting go of her hand. He left a confused Lindsay standing there, and walked over to Brooke. "Brooke?"

When Brooke heard a voice, a voice she could never forget. She turned around quickly, still holding Bella. "Lucas" she said, staring into his eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments. It had been five long years since they had seen each other. The memories and emotions from five years ago, came flooding back to them.

The moment was interrupted when they heard a little voice, "Mama, are you ok?"

Brooke looked at her daughter, and kissed her head. "Yeah baby, I'm ok".

Lucas looked from Brooke to the little girl. Did he hear her correctly? The child just called her Mama, Brooke had a daughter, since when? Lucas looked at the little girl and noticed immediately her blue eyes, just like his.

"Um, who's this?" Lucas asked.

"Lucas, I'd like you to meet _my_ daughter, Isabella" Brooke introduced, but didn't have the courage to tell him that this was his daughter. Peyton lightly laughed at Brooke's introduction.

"Oh. Hello Isabella" Lucas greeted. Brooke set Bella down on her feet.

"You can call me Bella" she corrected. She didn't like when people called her Isabella, because her mama only called her that when she was in trouble.

Lucas smiled, wrapped up in the moment, until he then felt someone beside him. "Lucas?" he heard his girlfriend's voice. He sighed annoyed, why did she have to show up and ruin this moment?

"Lindsay" he said, giving her a fake smile.

"Do you want to introduce me?"

"Oh, yeah. This is Peyton, Brooke and Brooke's daughter Isabella" he introduced, still annoyed that she was there. "This is Lindsay"

"Hi I'm Lucas's girlfriend"

"Hey" Peyton said. "Hi" Brooke said awkwardly.

"Lucas" Bella said stubbornly, "It's Bella"

Lucas laughed. _"No doubt that this kid is Brooke's" he thought_. When he laughed, Bella looked up at him and smiled. It then hit Lucas. Those eyes, the smile, Isabella was his daughter. Is that why Brooke left five years ago, because she was pregnant? Why didn't she tell him? Lucas knew one thing, he needed to talk to Brooke, and soon.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke, Peyton and Isabella were sitting on the couch, inside their new house. After spending a few days in Tree Hill, Brooke decided that it was time to move back. She bought Karen café, and decided to turn it into Tree Hill's first Clothes over Bros. store. She bought a house, and she, Peyton and Isabella moved. Brooke has spent a lot of time with Haley. Isabella and Jamie were becoming best friends.

Since seeing Lucas at the pier, Brooke hadn't seen him since. She was purposely avoiding him, because something told Brooke, that Lucas had figured of about Isabella. And Brooke didn't know if she was ready to tell him yet. Brooke wouldn't admit it, but since seeing him at the pier that day, she was constantly thinking about him. The way he looked, how he'd changed over the five years, the way he smiled at _their_ daughter.

So Brooke sunk back into the couch, cuddling with her daughter. Thinking about Lucas Scott.

 **Did you like it? Please Review!**


	3. Avoiding the past

**Thank you for all the reviews. I couldn't update this quickly without them!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

 _ALARM! ALARM! ALARM!_

"Momma, what's that noise?" Isabella yelled, running down the stairs. The fire alarm was going off. She ran into the kitchen, and almost collided with her Aunt Peyton.

Peyton and Isabella saw Brooke trying to cook something, but that something was smoking, causing the fire alarm to go off. They was bowls and pans all over the counter, with broken egg shells and batter splattered everywhere. "Brooke, what are you doing?" Peyton asked cranky, while turning off the fire alarm. She was a person who liked her sleep, and didn't appreciate getting woken up early.

"Oh! I was trying to be all domesticated. Cooking breakfast for my child and roommate" Brooke explained, "But the eggs got stuck to the pan, and the pancakes caught on fire!"

Bella laughed at her mama's breakfast, seeing her mom in the kitchen was funny. "What are you laughing at me for?" Brooke asked, dumping the pan with the smoking pancakes into the sink, drowsing it in water.

"Mama, you never cook" she stated, while Peyton lifted her up onto the kitchen bar stool.

"I know baby, but I wanted to be all Martha Stewart, with the beautiful breakfast spread and this apron" Brooke motioned to her new apron she was wearing.

"Brooke, we don't need you to cook breakfast for us" Peyton said, while grabbing a bowl out of the cabinet. She filled the bowl with cereal and milk, and placed it in front of Bella. "We're fine with cereal"

"But I'm supposed to make breakfast. That's what good mom's do"

"Brooke Penelope Davis. Is that what is whole breakfast things about?" Peyton asked, going over to her friend.

"What's about?" Brooke asked.

"You trying to make a five course breakfast, trying to be like those mom's you see in magazine because you feel like you're not a good mom" Peyton said. Brooke sighed, looking down. "Yeah I'm right" Peyton said, "But Brooke, you've been really busy and stressed trying to get the store ready. And that's a huge job. You need to give yourself some credit"

Brooke smiled, knowing her best friend was right. "And I think you're a kick ass mom too, I mean, am I right Izzy" Peyton asked the five year old, who was currently eating her cereal.

"Ah huh, you're the 'bestest'" she said, mouth full of cereal.

"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full and 'bestest' isn't a word" Brooke gently scolded.

"Now look" Peyton said, getting Brooke's attention back, "You are going to go take a shower, get ready, and go to your store to meet with Millie. Put all your attention and focus on your launch night. Meanwhile, I will take care of Izzy. I'll talk to Haley about Jamie's school, and I'll get all of her stuff figured out, ok?"

"Thanks Peyton, I don't know what I'd do without you" Brooke thanked emotionally.

"Well Isabella would probably starve" she laughed. Brooke laughed too. "Now go get ready. I'll clean this up" Peyton gave Brooke a light shove to her room.

"Ok, ok, I'm going" Brooke laughed, leaving the room. Peyton turned back towards the kitchen. She looked at the mess before her. "Are you going to help me?" she asked Bella.

"Nope" She answered, taking her last bite of cereal. Then she jumped off the bar stools, and went to go play.

- _Caught Between Two Love's-_

That day, and the next were a blur for Brooke. She worked nonstop, around the clock, making sure everything was ready for the store launch. Peyton had managed to get Isabella's school stuff figured out, and Bella was starting school that Monday.

But tonight was finally the night. Brooke, Peyton, Millie and Bella were all at the store. They were all wearing dresses. Millie and Brooke were going around, doing the last finally touches. "Brooke, the store looks amazing. Now will you relax" Peyton called out. She was standing at the counter with Bella, who was sitting on the counter.

"I can't relax until I finish this tablecloth" She said frazzled, pulling the tablecloth different ways.

Peyton shook her head and laughed, turning to Bella. "Now Izzy, this is a very big night for you mom. So I need you to stay out of her way, because she is going to be talking with a lot of people. If you need something, come and get me, ok?"

"Yes, Aunt Peyton"

"Good" Peyton responded, then looked towards the door, and saw Nathan, Haley and Jamie walk in. "There, go play with Jamie" she said, putting Bella down to her feet.

"Brooke, its looks amazing" Haley complimented. Brooke smiled, "Thanks. It was mostly Millie. She did a fabulous job"

"Well whoever did it, it looks awesome" she said, "So Nanny Carrie is coming around eight, to pick Jamie and Bella up" Brooke had previously agreed to let Bella had a sleepover with Jamie that night. Haley had offered, and Brooke didn't have any babysitters yet, so she couldn't refuse

"That's great. Thank you so much for doing this"

"Hey, I'm her Aunt and Jamie's her cousin. I'm happy to help"

"Thanks" Brooke smiled.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's_ -

The party had been going on for almost an hour. Everyone had shown up, including Lucas and Lindsay. Lucas hadn't gotten a chance to even see Brooke or Isabella yet, but he was hoping he would.

"I'm going to go grab a drink" Lindsay said, leaving Lucas's side. Lucas walked around for a moment, until her saw a little figure, in a blue dress, sitting on a couch. He smiled, went over, and sat down on the couch. "Well don't you look pretty?"

Isabella looked up from her dolls and smiled at Lucas, "Mommy picked my dress"

"I can tell. You look just like a princess" he complimented. Bella smiled at him. _God, she looks like Brooke, he thought._ "So what's a pretty lady like you doing, sitting here alone?" he asked.

"Aunt Peyton told me to leave Mama alone. She said she would be busy" Isabella answered seriously. "Mama's over there" she pointed out. Lucas looked over to where Bella pointed, and suddenly felt his heart start to beat rapidly. Brooke was standing there talking with some people, she was wearing a red sleeve-less dress, that went perfectly with her complexion. Lucas noticed how beautiful it made her look, and she was sexy as hell. It showed off her figure, and Lucas didn't want to stop staring. But he was forced to when he heard Isabella's voice. So he turned to her.

"Mommy's so pretty. She looks like Cinderella"

Lucas smiled, knowing how true she was. "Yeah, she does".

Isabella then went back to playing with her dolls. "So are these your dolls" Lucas asked.

"Yep, this one is Barbie" she held up the girl doll. "And he's ken" showing Lucas the boy doll. "They just got married"

"Oh! Did they have a dream wedding?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah. They got married this morning" she declared. Lucas laughed. Oh! To be a little kid again.

Bella looked at her dolls, noticing something. "They look like you and Mommy. See he has yellow hair like you, and she gots brown hair like Mama" she told Lucas, in her little kid grammar.

"Yeah, they kind of do, don't they?" Lucas replied, only wishing it was true.

Brooke was listening to someone talk to her, when she looked towards Bella. She felt her heart strings tug. She saw Bella sitting there on the couch, and Lucas was beside her. She could hear Bella laughing, and then Lucas laughing along with her. A Father with his daughter, and he didn't even know.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

It was later into evening, when Brooke excused herself from a guest she was taking to. She went around the room, in search for her daughter. She looked, and finally found her. She was talking with Mouth, with Lucas sitting near her. She walked up to them. "Hey come on Bella. It's time for you to call it a night" she held out her hand to her.

"But mama!" she whined.

"Isabella" she said gently, taking her hand, "Remember, Jamie's nanny Carrie is taking you. You and Jamie are going to have a sleepover at Aunt Haley's house"

Isabella's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yay" she shrieked. "Alright, now say goodbye" Brooke said, starting to lead Bella away.

"Bye Mouth. Bye Lucas" she said, then she turned back to her Mama.

Lucas watched them start to make their way through the crowd. He felt a need to go talk to Brooke. He wanted to know if Isabella was his daughter. Brooke had been ignoring him since she came back to Tree Hill, but he wanted to know the truth.

He got up and followed them, "Brooke" he exclaimed. But Brooke didn't stop, she held tighter onto Bella's hand, making her way to the back of the store. "Brooke!" he said, grabbing her arm gently. But he was quiet because he didn't want to make a scene.

"Lucas, let me go" Brooke said.

"Brooke, I just want to talk with you" he said, letting go of her arm.

"I don't have time to talk" Brooke said harshly. She knew she was being harsh, but if she didn't, she feared her emotions would get the best of her.

"Brooke, please" he pleaded, he needed to know.

"No, Lucas" she answered, walking off with Isabella, leaving Lucas standing there without answers.

 _-Caught Between two Love's-_

It was the next day. Brooke had picked up Bella from Nathan and Haley's house. Right now, Peyton was off at the music store. So Brooke and Isabella were sitting at the table, playing with modeling clay.

"So did you have fun last night?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah. Nanny Carrie made us root beer floats" she answered, while making a clay dinosaur.

"Great, Sugar" Brooke laughed.

"Mama?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Do I have a daddy?" Isabella asked.

Brooke looked up. She was at a loss for words. Bella had never asked her about her father before, not once. How was she supposed to answer that? "Of course you have a daddy"

"Where is he?"

"Um—he just isn't here, sweetheart" Brooke answered, feeling bad.

"But Jamie has a daddy. Why can't my daddy be here?" she asked innocently.

"He just isn't, I'm sorry Bella"

"It's ok" Isabella said sadly. She went back to her clay sculpture. Leaving Brooke feeling bad about this whole situation. _"Just tell him" she thought, "He has to know eventually"._

 _-Caught Between two Love's-_

Brooke was sitting on the couch, enjoying the wine she had in her hand. She was relaxing, because this was the first time in five years that she didn't have to think about work or her daughter. Peyton had taken Bella to the theater, where she met up with Haley and Jamie. They were taking them to the latest kid's movie out. Isabella had begged Brooke to come, but Brooke insisted that she was going to have a nice relaxing night off, and enjoy some wine.

So she took another sip of her wine, and leaned back into the couch, finally comfortable. So sooner was she comfortable, that she heard the doorbell ring.

"Agh!" she sighed, annoyed. _"That better be damn important" she thought._ She set her glass down on the coffee table, and got up. She walked over to the door and opened it. "What?" she said, not realizing who was at the door?

"Brooke, we need to talk" the person said to her.

Brooke looked up, shocked at the person standing in front of her.

"Lucas?"

 **Cliffhanger! Please Review!**


	4. Confronting Mistakes Part 1

**OH MY GOSH! I can't believe I got 10 reviews on my last chapter! Keep up the good work guys!**

 **This is a 2-part chapter. The part 2, will be posted on Sunday!**

 _Previously:_

 _She walked over to the door and opened it. "What?" she said, not realizing who was at the door?_

 _"_ _Brooke, we need to talk" the person said to her._

 _Brooke looked, shocked at the person standing in front of her._

 _"_ _Lucas?"_

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Lucas, what are you doing here?" Brooke asked.

"Brooke, we need to talk" Lucas said, walking inside. "Well just come on in" Brooke mumbled. Brooke closed the door, and turned to Lucas. "What do we need to talk about?"

"You know what we need to talk about, Brooke"

"What?" Brooke said, putting up a wall, afraid her emotions would surface.

"You've been avoiding me since the moment you came here"

"No I haven't!" she lied.

"Really Brooke, then what was that at your store's party. I tried to talk to you, but you ignored me"

"No I didn't. When you tried to talk to me, I was taking care of _my_ daughter"

"Yeah that's another thing, I know why you've been avoiding me" He said, voice slightly raised. Brooke looked at him. "Isabella" Lucas said, with raised his eyebrows.

"What about _my_ daughter" Brooke asked defensively, emphasizing 'my'.

"Oh, Brooke don't play dumb with me. You know what I mean" he said. Brooke looked at him, not willing to answer his unspoken question.

"Is Isabella my Daughter?" he asked straight-forward.

Brooke felt like she was up against a wall. This is what she had avoiding telling him for five years. She knew that coming back to Tree Hill, she would be faced with this confrontation with Lucas. Brooke went over and sat down on the couch. She knew that she couldn't avoid the truth anymore. She had to tell him, so she took a deep breathe, "Yes" she simply said.

Lucas felt his world spin. It was true, he had a daughter. He went and sat down in the chair, taking in what Brooke just said. As he processed this new information, he started to feel anger build inside him. He looked at Brooke, stood up, and kicked back the chair in anger. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME" he yelled. Brooke flinched back in surprise. "HUH, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME I HAD A DAUGHTER?" he continued, "DON'T YOU THINK I DESERVED TO KNOW!"

"Lucas, we were barely eighteen and in high school. You had your whole future ahead of you" she said, tears forming in her eyes.

"That's not a reason Brooke"

"It's a good enough reason for me" she answered.

"Just tell me the truth" he said, and when she didn't respond, he scoffed, "That's right, because there isn't a truth. You don't have a good enough reason why you kept my daughter away from me for five years"

"YOU WE'RE IN LOVE WITH PEYTON" she yelled, emotions exploding. "You would have resented ME, just like YOUR father resented you mother"

"Don't bring Dan into this, Brooke"

"But it's true, Lucas. You were in love with Peyton, and I would have been the girlfriend you got pregnant. Just like Dan got Karen pregnant"

Lucas was stewing, to angry to speak.

"I was going to tell you, ok. After I found out I was pregnant, I _was_ going to tell you. But then after the shooting, I saw the way you were with Peyton and I knew you loved her" Brooke confessed, telling him the things she had bottled up the last five years. The things she had always wanted to say to him. "So I left, because I knew you didn't love me anymore and you didn't need a child, especially with me. So I went to my Mother, and she helped me out"

It was quiet between them. Lucas was trying to come to terms with everything Brooke had just told him. "You know you're really selfish, Brooke" he said, words like venom.

"I'm selfish" she said, almost laughing, "Yeah, I'm really selfish for taking care of Bella for the last five years. Making sure all of her needs were taken care of. Trying to be the MOTHER AND FATHER FOR HER" she yelled the last part.

"I COULD HAVE BEEN THE FATHER FOR HER. BUT YOU DIDN'T GIVE ME THE CHANCE TOO" he yelled.

"I didn't give you a chance for a lot of reasons, Lucas"

"Really? Name one?"

"Ah, here's one. Because you went behind my back, and cheated on me with my best friend. And you didn't regret it at all. How was I supposed to know that you wouldn't have abandoned our child?"

That stung Lucas hard. It felt like a knife to his heart. "I would never have abandoned my child" he said, feeling the hurt his father caused him. He vowed he would never _ever_ abandon his child, and give them the hurt that Dan gave him.

"Really, because cheating on another girl is so common in your family. I didn't know if you took after your father again" she said in spite.

"Well I'll make damn sure that Isabella's not a slut in high school like you were" Lucas retaliated against her.

" _My_ daughters going to be nothing like I was. She will actually find a nice boy, one who won't cheat on her with her best friend. And you won't even have the chance to see it"

"Of course I'll have the chance to see it" Lucas said, knowing where she was going with it.

"No you won't" she said, voice raised, "Because I don't want you in her life"

Lucas looked at her angry. "Brooke, I have every right to be in her life. I'm her father"

"You have no right!" Brooke said, with edge to her tone. Lucas was about to say something back, when they heard a little voice, "Mama". Brooke turned around and surprised when she saw Bella standing in the kitchen, with Peyton who had just opened the back door. "Sorry" Peyton apologized, realizing they were fighting.

"Its fine" Brooke sighed, feeling bad Bella heard her and Lucas fight.

"Lucas!" Isabella squealed, seemingly unfazed by the fighting. She ran over and gave Luke a hug. He smiled down at her, "Hey Bella"

"Why are you here?" she asked innocently.

"I was just talking with your mom" He said, looking at Brooke. "But hey, I gotta go home, okay?"

"But why?" she whined.

"Bella, he's leaving" Brooke said. "But I barely saw him'd" Bella protested. "Isabella, Lucas is going back to his house, now say goodbye"

"But I want him to stay" she argued, putting her hands on her hips, something Brooke did.

"Hey, I'll see you later" Lucas said, he could tell Brooke wanted him to leave. "Bye Bella" he opened the door.

"Lucas" she whined, seeing him go. When the door closed, she turned to her mama. "Mama, I wanted him to stay"

"Bella, Lucas had to go home." Brooke said gently, then turned to Peyton. "How come you guys came back so early?"

"The movie sucked" Peyton answered laughing, "About halfway through it, Jamie and Izzy were bored, so Haley and I decided to call it a night"

"Oh, sorry if…" Brooke was interrupted by Isabella. "Mama, why did Lucas leave?" she asked.

"Because I told him too" Brooke answered, "Now it's past your bedtime, so I want you to go upstairs and get your pajamas on"

"I wanted him to stay" she said stubbornly, folding her arms.

"Isabella, go upstairs" Brooke said firmer. But Bella wasn't going down without a fight, "No" she pouted.

Brooke looked to her, and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me"

"NO"

"Isabella. Bed"

"I SAID NO" she yelled, stomping her foot.

"Isabella Karen Davis!" Brooke said in a tone not to be messed with, "Go to bed, _now_ ". She looked at Bella, waiting to see if she would listen. Praying she would, she didn't want to be the bad parent tonight. She gave a silent sigh of relief when she saw Isabella turn around and go up to her room, but not without stomping up the stairs and slamming her door.

"God Brooke, she is just like you" Peyton laughed.

"I don't know what has gotten into her" Brooke said exasperated, "Was she like this at the movie?"

"Nay, she was fine, but I think she's just tired" she suggested, putting her purse down. "So Lucas was over?"

"Yeah. He just showed up, and he wanted to know if Bella was his daughter"

"I take it you told him the truth" Peyton asked, referencing their fight.

"Yeah" Brooke said, tears starting to form again, "And we fought, and said awful things to each other, and I told him I didn't want Isabella to be in his life"

"Brooke!"

"I know. But if Bella knew about Lucas, and he started to be a father to her, that would mean he'd see her more, and you'd have to see him. And I know you're still delicate about that subject"

"Oh, please" Peyton exclaimed, "Brooke, your using me as an excuse. Yes, I had a high school fling with him. But you have a child with him. I'm totally fine, honest"

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes Brooke" Peyton laughed, "So right now, I am going to bed, and you will go up and deal with _your_ little monster"

"You don't want to help me?" Brooke asked pathetically, sticking out her bottom lip. Peyton shook her head, "Not a chance. You get to be the mean mommy, while I'll remain fun Aunt" she smiled, walking off to her room.

"Ugh!" Brooke sighed, looking up the stairs. She walked up the stairs, and gently knocked on her Bella's door.

"What?" she heard her daughter yell. Brooke raised her eyebrows and went into the room. She saw her daughter laying on her bed, and when Isabella saw Brooke, she turned the other way.

"I came to tuck you in" Brooke said, sitting on the bed. Bella ignored her. "Bella!"

Isabella continued to ignore her. "Isabella" Brooke said firmly. Isabella turned at looked at Brooke, with a pout on her face. "You're a mean mommy" she cried, pulling the blanket over her head.

Brooke sighed. These were the times where she wished she had someone else to help her. Someone who would have to be the bad cop, while she could be the one to comfort her daughter. It would be such a nice alternative.

Brooke got up and walked to the door, "Goodnight Isabella" she said, turning off the light. She went down the stairs, into her room and collapsed on her bed. _What an eventful night!_

 **Please Review! Part 2 will be posted on Sunday!**


	5. Confronting Mistakes Part 2

**Thank you for all the reviews, I could not update this quickly without the motivation!**

 **Here it is, Confronting Mistakes part 2**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

Brooke, Haley and Peyton were sitting on the side of the pool, at Nathan and Haley's house. They had their feet dipped in the water, watching Nathan play with Jamie and Bella in the water. Peyton was talking about wanting to start a label, and how she might start it at TRIC.

"That would be a really good place, with all the bands that have played there" Haley commented.

"Does Karen still own that place?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah" Peyton answered.

"So speaking of Karen, Lucas called me yesterday" Haley looked over to Brooke, raising her eyebrows. Brooke leaned back, sighing. She didn't even want to think about the other night. Since her fight with Lucas, she hadn't spoken to him. It had been three days already.

"Yeah he told me that he had a daughter, and explained everything including the fight and how you don't want him to be in Izzy's life" Haley continued.

"Hales, I don't know if this is the right time for all this. Bella and I just moved, and we're still getting adjusted to life back here. I just opened the store, and she starts school on Monday" Brooke said.

"Then when is the right time, Brooke?"

Brooke let out a deep breath, "Maybe in a few weeks, after life calms down"

"Oh, Brooke you just keep making excuses" Peyton voiced.

"Haley and Peyton are right, Brooke. Lucas deserves to have his daughter in his life" Nathan commented.

Brooke thought about it, wondering if she should give Lucas a chance or not. As she was thinking, she watched as her daughter played with Nathan and Jamie. "Throw me high, Uncle Nate" Isabella asked, swimming over to him. Nathan held her in his arms, "You wanna fly?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Bella answered, excitement in her eyes.

"Ok" Nathan launch her in the air, throwing her a few feet into the water. Bella came up from the water, smiling. "Was that fun?" he asked.

"It was awesome!" she shrieked. Everybody laughed at her excitement. As Brooke watched at Nathan played with Isabella, she was met with conflicting emotion. She knew Bella should have her dad, like Jamie had Nathan. But she was also dealing with the emotion of it all. All the hurt Lucas had caused her, and the trauma her heart when through. So as she watched her daughter splash around, she was lost in her world of thoughts. _Did she want Lucas Scott back in her life?_

* * *

Brooke couldn't sleep that night. She kept thinking about the fight with Lucas, and what Nathan and Haley had said. She was beginning to think that they were right. She didn't want Bella to go through life without her dad.

The next morning, Brooke got up with determination. She knew she had to confront the mistakes in her life, starting with a certain someone. So Brooke quickly got dressed and went to Peyton's room. "Hey, P. Sawyer" she said, throwing a pillow at her.

"What the hell, Brooke?" Peyton asked sleepy.

"Can you watch, Bella? I need to go take care of something. She won't be up for another two hours. Please?" Brooke begged quickly.

Brooke heard a mumbled 'yeah whatever', so she grabbed her purse and went out to her car. She pulled up to a familiar house, one she thought she'd never see again. Brooke got out of her car, and went up to the side door. She smiled, knowing all the nights she would sneak through this door, in varying states of sobriety. So she knocked on the glass, and waited.

Lucas heard a knock on his door, and looked up. He could make out a female figure through the curtain. He got up and opened the door. "Brooke?" he greeted surprised.

"Hey" Brooke smiled, "Can we talk".

"Yeah, sure. Come on in" he moved aside, letting her into his room. Brooke went in, looking around the room. "Your room hasn't changed much" she noted, turning around to look at him.

"Yeah well, I'm not one for decorating" Lucas answered, wondering why she was here, especially this early.

"Look Lucas, I know we said a lot of things to each other the other night"

Lucas nodded his head in agreement. "Though most of it I meant" Brooke commented. Lucas rolled his eyes at her comment.

"But, there was one thing I didn't mean" Brooke confessed. Lucas looked at her questioningly, and Brooke continued, "I do want you to be in Isabella's life. I want her to have a dad she can rely on, and I think you should be a dad to your daughter".

"What's with the change of heart, Brooke?" he asked questioningly.

"You were right, ok. You do have a right to be in your daughter's life. I shouldn't take that right from you, especially now. Isabella has really taken to you" she smiled.

Lucas smiled back at her, thinking about how Bella was like last night. "Well I think we should tell Bella. She needs to know I'm her dad"

"I agree with that"

"Really?"

"Yeah, she actually asked me about you a couple days ago. So I think it's a good time to tell her"

Lucas thought for a moment, "Should we tell her today. We can meet up at the River Court, later. How does that sound?"

"Sounds perfect" she smiled. "Two o'clock?"

"Sure—"he paused, then asked, "How are we going to do this Brooke?"

"Do what?" she questioned confused.

"Be Parents. Are we both going to, I mean, how is this going to work?"

"I don't know, Lucas" she said honestly. And truthfully, she didn't know if she was willing to give that up. She had been both parents for the last five years, and she was used to being the only one.

"Well we need to figure it out"

"How about you just get to know Bella first" she suggested, "Then later on, we can work it out".

"Ok"

"Alright" she said, walking to the door, "Bella and I will see you at the River Court"

"See you later" he smiled.

Brooke smiled back, looking into those blue eyes. "Bye Lucas" she said, walking out the door.

* * *

"Mama, where are we going?" Isabella asked, looking out the window of the car. Brooke looked back in the rearview mirror, and smiled at her daughter. "We're going to the River Court, Bella"

"What's that?"

"Well, look for yourself. We're here" Brooke pulled up, and parked the car. She saw Bella looked through the window, seeing all the landscape. "Hey, look who's that" Brooke pointed out on the opposite side. Isabella turned her head, and smiled. "LUCAS!" she squealed. Brooke got out of the car, and opened Bella's door. Isabella was still trying to get her buckle undone. "Want some help" Brooke offered.

"No Mama, I can do it" she answered stubbornly. It took her a minute, but she eventually unclipped the last buckle, and hurried out of the car. Brooke watched as Bella ran to Lucas, and saw Lucas give her a hug. Brooke closed the car door, and walked over to them.

"Hey guys"

"Mama, Lucas's here" Bella smiled.

"Yeah, I know, Baby" Brooke said. Brooke and Lucas looked at each other, silently talking through their eyes.

"Why don't we go sit down" Lucas suggested, motioning towards the picnic table. So they walked over there, each taking a seat. Brooke and Isabella on one side, Lucas on the other. "Mama, look at the water!" Bella exclaimed, pointing at the river. "There's a lot of boats, mama. And look at the basketball net!"

Lucas chuckled. "Basketball hoop." He corrected. Isabella giggled, "Ohh, basketball hoop!" Lucas just smiled at the little girl. This was _his_ little girl. Since the day he saw Brooke and Isabella at the pier, he knew the Bella was his. And now, they were finally going to tell her the truth. The truth it seemed, that had been hidden for five years.

"Hey Bella" Brooke said, trying to get the five years old attention. But Bella turned her head looking back at the river again. Her daughter loved water for some reason or another. "Isabella?"

Isabella turned her head towards her mama, and sighed dramatically. "Yeah?"

"Mama and Lucas have something we want to talk to you about"

Isabella looked at Brooke, "What Mama?

"Remember how you asked me a couple days ago, if you had a daddy. And I told you, you did" Brooke said. Isabella nodded her head, "Yeah"

"Well" Brooke smiled at Lucas, "Lucas is your daddy".

Bella quickly looked at Lucas. She stared at him for a couple minutes with her confused little face. "You're my daddy?" she asked.

Lucas smiled, "Yeah, I'm your dad"

It was quiet for a few more seconds until she asked, "Why haven't you been my daddy before?"

Lucas looked over at Brooke stunned. That was a pretty complex question for a five-year-old. But Brooke wasn't surprised at all. That was Isabella Davis for you.

"Um—"Lucas looked to Brooke for help, so she stepped in and said "Bella, your daddy and I had to work out some adult stuff before he could be your daddy. But he's here now"

"You're gonna be my daddy forever and ever?" she asked skeptically.

"Come over here, sweetheart" Lucas said. Bella got up from the table, and went around the table. Lucas then picked her up and sat her on his lap. "Bella, I am your Daddy" he said happily, using the title that weeks ago he didn't even know he was. But now it felt so natural to him. "And I know I haven't been around until now, but I promise that I will always be here for you. I will be your dad _forever and ever_ "

Isabella looked at her daddy smiling, and gave him a big hug. "I'm happy you're my daddy" she said. Lucas felt his heart melt. He wrapped his arms around his daughter and hugged her back. "I'm happy you're my baby girl." He whispered.

Brooke sat there, watching the exchange with a smile on her face.

Isabella released her arms, and pointed towards the basketballs hoops. "Hey, can we play basketball?" she asked.

"Yeah" Lucas smiled, standing up and setting Bella to her feet. He grabbed the basketball, and he held Isabella's hand as they walked over to the hoops. Lucas explained to her how the game worked, and taught her how to dribble.

"Lucas-" Bella stopped and giggled, "Uh, daddy. Lift me up there" she pointed towards the hoop.

"Ok—here hold onto it" Lucas said handing her the ball. He lifted her up, and carried her over to the hoop. "Throw it in" he said. Isabella threw the basketball, and it went through the hoop.

"I made a basket!" She squealed.

"You did! Good job!" Lucas congratulated, giving her a high five.

Brooke sat on the bench smiling. As she watched the two, she knew she made the right decision. Seeing how Lucas and Bella interacted, warmed her heart. For a moment, she forgot all the hurt Lucas caused her, and she remembered what she loved about him. She thought about all happy moments the two of them had shared together. For a brief moment, she realized why she had loved Lucas Scott.

 **Remember to Review!**


	6. Glimpse of the Future

**I can't believe I hit 50 Reviews! Thank you guys so much. I loved writing that 2-part chapter, it was so fun.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

Brooke was sitting on the couch in her store, with Isabella sitting beside her. The store was closed for the morning, and Bella was off school. So there she sat, with a needle in one hand, blue fabric in the other. She was making her daughter a cheerleading uniform because that night, Lucas was taking Isabella to her first Raven's game.

"Mama" Bella said.

"Yes Baby"

"How soon until the game?" she asked, getting impatient.

"It's not for a while Bella" she answered, then she heard Bella sigh.

"Is my outfit gonna be ready by the game?"

"It should be" Brooke answered, working with the needle. It was quiet for a spilt second, until her daughter started move around on the couch. Then Bella began to jump up and down, while she was sitting.

"Isabella. I can't finish this if you keep jumping" Brooke said firmly. She was starting to get a headache from her rambunctious five year old.

"But I'm bored" she whined.

"Then go play in my office" Brooke laughed, thinking to all the toys Bella had in there.

"That's boring. I want to go to the gam—"she was interrupted by the store door opening. Both Brooke and Bella turned to the door. Brooke was surprised to see who it was. "Mother?"

"Hello Brooke" Victoria greeted coldly.

"Victoria!" Bella shrieked, getting off the couch. Victoria had refused to let Isabella call her grandma. She claimed that she was too young for the title. So Bella had always called her by her name.

"Hello Isabella" Victoria smiled. Even though she had a cold exterior, she did have a soft spot in her heart for her granddaughter.

"Victoria look, Mama is making me a cheerleading outfit for the game tonight with Daddy" Bella informed, pointing to Brooke. Brooke internally cringed when she heard her daughter say 'daddy'.

"Daddy?" Victoria looked at Brooke with a mixture of confusion and angry, "Since when is there a daddy?" she asked.

"Um, look—"Brooke started to say, when Bella interrupted with "Lucas is my daddy". Brooke sighed, knowing what her mother would say. "Hey Bella, why don't you go play in my office. You can go on my computer" she said, not wanting her five year old to be in the conversation.

"Ok" Bella agreed excitedly, she never got to play on her mama's computer. Brooke watched as she went into the back room, and when she knew her daughter was out of hearing range, she turned to Victoria.

"Since when did Lucas come back into the picture?" Victoria asked.

"Since the two of us talked, and I told him that he was Isabella's father"

Victoria looked at her confused, "And why would you do that Brooke?"

"Because, Lucas deserved to know" she reasoned.

Victoria just shook her head. "Brooke, you didn't think that he deserved to know five years ago. Don't you remember, you were the one who came running to me when he got you pregnant, and broke your heart. But I was a good mother, and helped you with everything, and this is how you repay me. Running away from your company, and going back to that boy who ruined you"

Brooke was angry by the time her mother finished her statement. "First of all, I didn't run away from my company. I started a store here in Tree Hill. This is where it feels like home. And second, I didn't go back to Lucas. Lucas figured out that Isabella was his daughter. What was I supposed to do, lie to him?

"You could have made up something" Victoria quipped.

"Mom, Lucas has the right to be in his daughter's life, and Bella needs her father" she stated. Victoria just scoffed at her. "What mother?" she asked.

"What are you going to do Brooke, when he breaks your heart again? Are you going to abruptly move back to New York, ripping your daughter away from her new found father? How do you think Isabella's going to react to that? You need to put a stop to this, and not let her see him anymore" Victoria voiced.

"I'm not going to let him break my heart again, because we aren't even together. He has a girlfriend, and I'm fine just being by myself"

"Oh, Brooke" Victoria laughed, "Can you honestly look at me and tell me you don't have feelings for Lucas"

Brooke looked to the ground, eyes filling with tears. She couldn't look at her mother, knowing that if she did, her tears would fall.

"Exactly Brooke" Victoria said venomously, then she walked over to the door. "Don't come crying back to me, when he hurts you again" Then she walked out the door, leaving Brooke standing there with hurt emotions.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Brooke was standing behind the counter at Clothes over Bros., when she heard the door open. Brooke looked up, and smiled when she saw who it was. "Hey" she greeted.

"Hey" Lucas said back. He walked up to the counter, "She excited?"

"Bouncing off the walls" she said with a facial expression, an expression that would explain her day with her overly excited five year old.

"Oh!" Lucas laughed, "Is she ready?"

"Let me check" Brooke turned and yelled, "Hey Bella"

"Yeah" she heard her daughter yell from her office.

"Are you ready for the game? Your dad's h—"Brooke couldn't finish her sentence, because she interrupted by a high-pitched shrieked, then little feet running in her direction. "Daddy!" Bella yelled, making her appearance. She ran to Lucas, "I'm ready".

"Well I can see that" he smiled, looking down at his daughter. She was dressed in a miniature cheerleading uniform, with matching pom-poms. Her hair was in pigtails, and she had an 'R' painted on her face, something Brooke always did for game's when she was a cheerleader. "You look like a cheerleader".

"I'm s'posed to dad. That's why I'm wearing this" she said in a 'duh' tone. Lucas looked at Brooke, "and Cheery lives on" he commented.

"Cheery?" she questioned, remembering the nickname Lucas had given her a long time ago, "God Lucas, you haven't said that is like…"

"Five years" he remembered, smiling. Brooke smiled back at him, locking eyes with him. They stared at each other for a moment, each thinking back to their high school years. A time that felt like a lifetime ago.

"Daddy, are we gonna go?" Bella asked, interrupting their moment. Both parents quickly turned to their daughter. "Yes sweetie, but first we have to go over some rules for the game" Lucas said seriously.

Isabella sighed dramatically. "Daddy" she whined, "The game is s'posed to be fun". Brooke couldn't help but smiled at Bella's dramatics, the kid got it from her.

"And it will be, Isabella" Lucas picked her up, and sat her on the counter, "But we still have to have rules". He waited for Bella to looked up to him before he continued, "You need to stay by me the entire time. No running off to play, or to explore and look around. You need to listen to me, and Skills or Uncle Nathan. I need you to be good, ok?"

Bella looked to her Mama. Brooke nodded her head, "Daddy's right, you have to obey him or you won't go" she threatened. Bella looked back to Lucas, "Ok, I'll be good".

"That's my girl" Lucas smiled, "But there's one more rule. The most important one. Absolutely no talking to any of the players. I don't need you getting a boyfriend"

"Lucas! She's five" Brooke laughed.

"Daddy, Mama said that she was a cheerleader, and you played basketball" Bella informed. Brooke cringed when she said that. "Good point, Luke"

"Yeah, though so" He lifted Bella down to the floor, "Ready?"

"Finally" Bella yelled, running to the door.

"Whoa. Whoa. Stop right there Isabella Davis" Brooke said sternly. Isabella turned around, looking at her mama, scared she was in trouble. Brooke smiled, "I didn't get a hug you goof".

Bella laughed and ran to Brooke, giving her a big hug. "I love you, mama".

"I love you, baby. Now be good for your dad" she warned. "Yes, mommy" Bella said, going over Lucas.

"So you're dropping her off at my house after the game?" Brooke double checked. "Yes Brooke, we went over this. Now if Bella and I don't leave, the coach is going to be late" he smiled, walking towards the door with _their_ daughter.

"Alright, get out of here. Have fun"

"Bye Brooke" he said, opening the door. And with that, Lucas and Bella left.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's_ -

Lucas and Bella were holding hands as they entered the gym. They walked over to where Skills, Nathan and Jamie were standing. "Hey Guys"

"What up dawg" Skills greeted to Lucas, then looked at Bella, "Hey Mini Davis"

"Hi Uncle Skills" she smiled. Then Bella let go of Lucas's hand and ran over to Jamie. "Jamie! Like my outfit, my Mama made it. She said I'm a Raven's cheerleader now"

Jamie pointed to his own clothes, "I'm a Raven's basketball player" he was wearing his uniform.

"We're like them" Bella exclaimed, looking at the all the basketball players and cheerleaders coming through the doors. One of the players was Quentin, and he walked over to them. "Hey J-Luke, who's this?" Quentin asked.

"This is my cousin, Izzy. She's my best friend" Jamie introduced proudly. Quentin crouched down, and smiled at her. "What's up Izzy, I'm Quentin but you can call me Q"

"Hi Q"

"So you're a cheerleader?" Quentin asked her.

"Yep. See my pom-poms" she held them out.

"Too bad, I don't got a cheerleader" Quentin pretended to sad.

"Well I'll be your cheerleader, Q" Bella offered excitedly.

"Alright" he smiled, "you'll be my girl", then he held out his fist. Bella smiled, and they fist pumped. Lucas looked over and saw the exchanged between them. He started to feel protective of his daughter. "Hey Bella" he said, waving her over. Isabella ran to him. "What?"

"Why don't you go and sit by Uncle Nathan" he said, seeing that his brother was sitting on the bench.

"But why?" she questioned puzzled.

"Because—"he was trying to come up with a reason, "Uncle Nate is sitting there all by himself"

"Ok" she agreed, running over to her Uncle. Nathan picked her up, and sat her on his lap. "A little over-protective there" Nathan laughed. Lucas rolled his eyes, "No I'm not" he said flustered, looking at his clipboard, "Alright Team, huddle up!"

 _-Caught Between Two Love's_ -

The game was halfway over. Lucas was focused on the game, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, "What?"

"Hey look" Nathan said, pointing to the two little kids, "This is what it'll be like in twelve years. Jamie on the team, Izzy a cheerleader. But we'll be on the bleachers with Hales and Brooke, being proud parents" Nathan commented.

Lucas looked at them, and smiled. He saw Bella trying to copy the other cheerleaders with her pom-poms and dance moves. Even though Isabella hadn't been in his life that long, his mind was jumping forward, envisioning her being a teenager. He could see her being exactly like Brooke was; Popular, head cheerleader, a heartbreaker. He was thankful that Brooke let him be in Isabella's life. He was happy that he was a father, and was eager to take on the role. He wanted to raise Bella to be a good person, and to be successful like her mother.

He was even more grateful that he was sharing this parenthood journey with Brooke. He couldn't imagine anyone else, he would want to share it with. Brooke was such a great mom. He didn't know anybody else, he could think of, that would be a better mom. Brooke loved _their_ daughter. Lucas's mind thought to the future. Where would he and Brooke stand in twelve years? Would they be with different people, or would they be together again?

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Lucas carried a sleeping Isabella inside Brooke's house. "Want me to put her in her bed?" he whispered

"I can do" Brooke whispered back, extending her arms to her daughter. But Lucas shook his head, "Brooke, I'll do it".

"Fine" she started walking up the stairs, with Lucas following. Brooke turned on the light to Bella's room, and Lucas walked in. He gently put his daughter on her bed. Brooke started taking off her shoes. "Can you grab those pajamas" she pointed towards the dresser. Lucas grabbed them, and handed them to Brooke. So while Brooke started to change their daughter, Lucas looked around the room. It was a typical little girl's room, with dolls everywhere and dress up clothes sprawled throughout the room. Bella had a little table, where all her stuff animals sat. He looked at her shelf, and saw that it was full of books. "Wow, she has a lot of books" Lucas commented.

Brooke lightly laughed, "Yes she does. I swear every time we go into a store, she comes out with another book. She takes after you there, because I never wanted a book as a child. I hated getting them"

"Why doesn't that surprise me" he teased. Brooke stuck her tongue out at him, as she was putting Bella's favorite teddy bear beside her, then she pulled up the covers. Lucas smiled, seeing Brooke tuck Isabella in for the night. But at the same time, wishing he would be the one doing it.

Then he and Brooke made their way out of the room. Brooke turned off the light, but made sure the night light was on, and after giving the room a final check, they both walked out. They went down the stairs, and Lucas went to the front door, getting ready to leave.

"So was she good at the game?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, she was good. But she did break one of my rules" he answered. Brooke looked at him, questioningly.

"She has a new boyfriend" he said seriously. Brooke laughed, because of how serious he was. "Oh, a boyfriend. Who?"

"Quentin" he said. Then he realized how ridiculous he was being, and started to laugh; Isabella was five, not sixteen. "Yeah apparently, she's his cheerleader"

Brooke smiled, "Ah, how cute"

"Well she is like you" Lucas complimented.

"No" Brooke said, "She's like both of us"

"Yeah, she is. Isn't she" he smiled, thinking how Bella was the perfect combination of him and Brooke. "So hey, do you have anything going on this Saturday?" he asked.

Brooke thought for a second, "No I shouldn't, why?"

"Well my Mom is coming back into town with Lily and Andy on Saturday. I thought it would be good for Bella to meet her Grandma and her aunt—"he stopped, "Wow, my little sister's an Aunt. That's weird to say"

Brooke gently laughed at the last part. "I think that sounds wonderful, Bella should meet your Mom and sister"

"Ok then. They're coming in at the marine, so I'll pick you and Bella up in the morning"

"Sounds like a plan" she smiled.

Lucas looked at his watch, "I better get going" he said.

"Ok, well bye Luke"

Lucas opened the door and turned back to look at Brooke, "See you Saturday"

"See you then" she smiled, locking eyes with Lucas again today. The way the moonlight was shining, making his blue eyes stand out. Brooke felt her heart start to race as she stared at him. _"God, he looks sexy tonight" she thought._ For a brief moment, she wanted to kiss him. She wanted press her lips against his, and wanted to feel his body against hers. For a fraction of a second, she wanted him.

 **Please Review!**


	7. The years apart fading away

**Again, I can't thank you guys enough for all the reviews. I absolutely love receiving them, and it makes my day!**

 **To answer some of the reviews: I'm still toying with the idea of Sam being in this fanfic, and if I do add her, it will be in later chapters. Some feedback would be nice.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or Candy Land, just Isabella Davis!**

It was Saturday. Lucas, Brooke and Isabella were in the car, heading to the pier. Lucas and Brooke talked easily on the drive. Brooke was talking about her store, and Lucas talked about basketball. They were also talking about Bella, discussing whether or not they would put her in a sport.

So when Lucas turned onto a country road, he pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Lucas what are you doing?" Brooke asked. Lucas looked at her and smiled, "Something my Uncle Keith did for me", then he turned around to Bella. "Wanna drive?"

"Drive the car?" Bella asked, furrowing her brow, looking just like her mother.

"Yeah"

Isabella's eyes danced with excitement. She quickly undid her buckle, and crawled over the seat. "Lucas, you're going to let her drive" Brooke asked concerned. Lucas chucked, "She'll be fine Brooke. It's an empty road" he reasoned, adjusting Bella on his lap. He put her hands on the steering wheel and asked "Ready?"

Bella nodded her head, "Go Daddy!" she squealed.

"Ok kid, you're driving" he said, putting some pressure on the accelerator, as Bella steered the wheel. Lucas casted a glance to Brooke, who was looking petrified, biting her lip.

"Go faster daddy" Bella begged. Lucas laughed, "I don't think mama would be happy if it went any faster"

Bella turned her head to Brooke, "Please Mama, can we go fast?"

"No way, baby. We're already going fast enough" Brooke answered quickly. She was not enjoying this at all. Lucas turned his head to Brooke, smiling. As he was looking at her, Bella steered the car a little off the road. "Lucas!" Brooke yelled terrified. Lucas quickly corrected the wheel. "This is why you shouldn't let her drive" she shrieked.

"Brooke, the car went like two feet off the road" Lucas reasoned, then started chuckling because of how terrified she looked.

Brooke lightly punched him in the arm, "What are you laughing at?"

"How scared you are. I mean, we're only going like five miles per hour"

"It still scary" she stated. Lucas looked at her mischievously, and put his foot down more on the accelerator, making the car go faster. "Lucas!" Brooke cringed, as he laughed at her. "Your enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked.

"A little" he smirked, turning his attention back to the road.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

The three of them were on the dock, sitting on the bench. Lucas and Brooke were sitting side by side, and Bella was sitting on Lucas's lap. "Daddy, when are they gonna get here" Bella asked impatient.

"Soon" Lucas smiled, seeing how impatient his daughter was; she was just like Brooke.

"Aren't you excited to meet your grandma?" Brooke asked. "Don't forget about your aunt" Lucas added, bouncing Bella on his knee.

"I'm 'cited" Bella squealed, then started to laugh and Brooke and Lucas started tickling her. "Mama Stop!" she laughed. They both stopped, and Lucas looked up to see a familiar boat get anchored to the dock. He put Bella on her feet, and got up. "Mom!" he said, running over to Karen, who had just stepped on the dock.

"Lucas!" Karen exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him, "Oh' my baby boy". Then Karen released her arms, and turned to Brooke. "Brooke" she said, giving her a hug, "It's been to long". Brooke hugged her back, "Way to long, Karen" she said with emotion. Karen stepped back and looked down to Bella, who was hiding behind Brooke. "And who is this?" Karen asked, even though Lucas had told her about Bella.

"This is Isabella" Brooke introduced, gently putting Bella in front of her. "Bella, can you say hi"

"Hi" Bella smiled shyly. Karen crouched down in front of her, "Hi Bella, I'm your grandma" she paused, then looked up at Lucas and Brooke "I'm too young to be a grandma" she commented. They all laughed as Karen picked Bella up. "Oh my goodness" she exclaimed, holding Bella.

Isabella looked over to the boat, "Daddy said I have an aunt. Where is she?"

"Well I wouldn't call Lily an aunt, your older than she is" Karen answered.

"Really?"

"Yep. Oh' Lily's right there" Karen pointed to the boat, where Andy and Lily we're waving down at them.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

On the way back from the pier, they had decided to stop at the park to let the kids play. Lily had been cooped up on the boat for the past week, and Bella was just Bella with all her energy. So they stopped at a park in Tree Hill. Andy and Lucas we're playing with the girls, while Karen and Brooke we're sitting on the park bench, watching them.

"Karen, I want to thank you" Brooke said, turning to look at her. She had so much respect and gratitude for Karen. Karen had helped Brooke out in high school, when Victoria wasn't around, and had inspired her to be a better person. Karen truly cared for her, so Brooke would always look at her as the mother figure she never had.

"For what?" she asked confused.

"For being helping me out all those months I lived with you, and even after that. You really supported me and cared for me. And honestly without you, I don't think I'd be the mom I am to Bella" she explained.

"Oh, Brooke. You would have been a good mom to her, whether I helped you or not"

"I don't think that's true" Brooke said truthfully.

Karen smiled, "Well, even so. You are a lot stronger than I ever was. You're a single mom to a beautiful little girl"

"But you were a single mom" Brooke stated.

"No Brooke, I had Keith all those years. When Lucas was a baby, little kid, teenager, Keith was there for it all. But you, you've had to do it alone for five years. It takes a lot of strength to do that. You're a really smart person, and I am proud of everything you have accomplished"

Brooke started to blush, "Thanks Karen" she smiled, giving her a hug, "There's a reason why Bella's named after you"

Karen pulled her head back, and looked at Brooke questioningly. Brooke smiled, "Her name is Isabella Karen Davis"

"Oh, Brooke" Karen said, this time giving Brooke the hug. Karen was so happy to be a grandma, and she was even happier to have her granddaughter named after her.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

The next day, Karen and Lucas we're sitting on the porch of his house. They we're watching Isabella and Lily play in the yard. Brooke was inside, she had insisted that Karen relax, and she could get the house ready for the dinner Lucas was having since his mom was in town. So he and Karen sat, talking on the porch. "She's an amazing little girl" Karen said, motioning towards Isabella, "I'm lucky to be her grandmother"

"Yeah, she is so much like Brooke. It's hilarious seeing the two of them" he smiled.

"You know, I think she's sort of like you. Bella's shy at first, like you are" Karen said, smiling at her son, "But then your right, after you get to know her, she's all Brooke"

"She has a lot of personality" Lucas commented. Karen looked at her granddaughter, "That she does". They watched the two girls, Bella and Lily had their dolls in the yard, having a tea party. "So how is Lindsay doing?" Karen asked, changing the subject.

Lucas sighed, not wanting to talk about his girlfriend. "Good, she went back to New York two weeks ago. We really haven't talked lately, because I've been trying to get to know Bella more"

"Yeah, and what does she think about Bella?" Karen asked, taking a sip from her glass. When Lucas didn't respond, she said, "I take it, you didn't tell her that Isabella is your daughter"

Lucas sighed, "No, not yet"

"Lucas, what are you holding off for?"

"Mom, it's just I'm trying to be a father to Bella, and it's easier to leave Lindsay out of it" he said defensively.

"Oh, you mean easier because you still have feelings for Brooke, and having Lindsay here would conflict with you spending time with Brooke"

Lucas looked at his mom, knowing everything she just said was true. But also wondering how she knew. "How did you—"

"How did I know that you still have feelings for Brooke?" she asked. Lucas nodded his head. "Lucas, I'm your mother. I raised you and saw everything you went through. I remember how hurt you were when Brooke left, I knew that you never got over her, even when you said you did"

Lucas was quiet, thinking about what he mom had just said. Coming to the realization that he still had feelings for Brooke.

"Do you love Brooke?" Karen asked straight-forward.

"Honestly mom, I don't think I ever stopped loving her" Lucas said truthfully.

"Then what are you waiting for" Karen said exasperated, trying to knock some sense into her son. "If you love Brooke, go after her. Don't wait to be with her…trust me I know. I waited far too long to be with Keith, and when I finally told him, it was too late. But Lucas, if I had it to do over again, I would've said something to him years before"

"But Mom, what if she doesn't love me back?" he asked. He didn't know if he could go through the hurt again. When Brooke left him, he was devastated.

"Sometimes in life, Lucas" she said, putting her arm around him, "We have to take risks. And a lot of times, the gain outweighs the risks, and we find happiness"

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

They were all seated at the table. Karen, Lily, and Brooke on one side. Haley, Jamie and Bella on the other, with Lucas and Andy sitting at the ends of the table. Lucas had invited both Nathan and Haley, but given everything that had happened between Nathan and Nanny Carrie recently, only Haley came with Jamie.

The room was filled with conversation and laughter. Karen and Andy were talking about all the places they had been too, and what they hoped to see. Lucas was filling his mother in on everything that had happened in Tree Hill. Every adult temporarily forgetting their life's problems and enjoying the evening, even the little kids were having fun.

"So why didn't Peyton come?" Haley asked.

"Ugh…that girl is always at her label" Brooke exclaimed, "She said she couldn't come because she's checking out some new bands"

"How is her label going?" Karen asked.

"From what I've heard, it's been going good" Brooke answered. "Yeah, I've been helping her out in my spare time" Haley added.

"That's good" Karen smiled. Then they heard Lucas's cell phone ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the number. "Hmm. Wonder who this is?" he said, not recognizing the number, "Excuse me" he got up from his chair and left the room, to answer the call. While he was gone, they continued talking about the label.

"Yes!" they heard Lucas shout. They all turned to him, as he came back into the kitchen. He had excitement written all over his face. "Guess what?" he exclaimed. No one guessed, but they all looked to him, wondering why he was so excited.

"My novel is turning into a movie!"

"What?" everyone seemed to say at once, shocked by the news!

"My agent just called me, and said that this producer wants to buy the rights to the novel. This guy wants to turn it into a movie" he said, overwhelmed with excitement.

"Lucas, that's wonderful" Karen congratulated.

"Who's the producer?" Brooke asked. Lucas sat back down in his seat, "I don't know, my agent didn't tell me. I guess I'll meet with this guy in a few weeks, and see what happens but he for sure wants to turn it into a movie"

"That's great!" Haley smiled.

"You know what?" Brooke said, suddenly coming up with an idea, "We should have a party to celebrate". Lucas started to shake his head, but Brooke continued "Come on, it'll be fun. We can celebrate it turning into a movie"

"We could have it at TRIC" Karen offered, on board with the idea. "Yeah Luke, it'll be fun" Haley added.

"Alright fine" He agreed.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

After dinner Jamie, Bella and Lily we're playing candy land in the living room while the adults talked in the kitchen. Bella had just finished her turn, "Your turn Jamie" she said, then noticed Jamie was sad. "Jamie, why are you sad?"

"Nanny Carrie left" he said sadly.

"But why? I liked her" Bella exclaimed. Since she and Jamie went to the same school, Nanny Carrie would often picked them both up from school. Bella would spend time with Nanny Carrie and Jamie at Nathan and Haley's house, until Brooke or Lucas could pick her up. Bella had developed a close relationship with Carrie.

"Mama sent her away" Jamie angrily stated.

"Tell your mommy you want her back" Lily voiced. "Yeah" Bella added. Jamie shook his head, "I did".

"That's not fair, I—"Isabella started to say, but stopped when she heard her daddy's voice. Lucas came into the living room, oblivious to their little conversation. "Hey you little monsters, want some ice cream" he asked. There were shrieks of 'yeah' as the three little kids got up from their game, running into the kitchen with Lucas, forgetting their conversation.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

When Brooke looked at the time later that night, she realized that she and Bella should get going. Haley and Jamie had already left, and Karen was taking Lily to bed. Brooke and Lucas walked over to where Bella was asleep on the couch.

"I'll carry her to your car" Lucas offered. He went over and carefully lifted Bella, trying not to wake her up. Brooke grabbed her purse and opened the door, holding it open for Lucas to go through. "She had fun tonight" Lucas said, as he and Brooke walked down the path.

"Yeah. I think that all three of them are having sugar hangovers" Brooke laughed, "They all passed out after all the ice cream you gave them"

"You have to have ice cream after dinner, it's a tradition" Lucas defended.

"Well if she throws up tonight, I'm calling you"

"Fair enough" he agreed, as they arrived to her car. Brooke opened the back car door, and Lucas gently put Bella in her car-seat. He did the buckle, and quietly shut the door. "You seem excited about the movie" Brooke noted.

"Yeah, it's an amazing opportunity" he smiled, "And I'm really excited to show a certain character"

"Which one?" she asked.

"I'm really excited for this Brooke Davis character. From what I hear, she's amazingly strong, fierce, and independent" he complimented.

"Lucas" Brooke said quietly. She could feel her face getting warm and she knew that she was blushing. Lucas moved closer to her, their body's only inches apart. "And there's another thing about this girl" he whispered, putting his hands on her waist.

"Oh, what's that?" she asked, feeling a shiver down her spine as she felt his hands on her. She tilted her chin up to look into his blue eyes.

Lucas starred into her eyes and murmured "She's sexy". Brooke smiled at him, and Lucas moved his head closer, their faces only inches apart. Brooke could feel her heart race, as Lucas starred at her. He moved closer, and then without hesitation, Lucas leaned in and kissed her.

Brooke felt a spark ignited as Lucas's lips hit against her. She leaned forward, putting her hands in his hair, kissing him back. The touch felt familiar to her, as she could feel Lucas running his hands over her waist. Their kiss quickly becoming heated.

They stood there kissing each other for a few minutes, all the years apart from each other beginning to fade away. They felt like high schoolers, making out by the car. And when they released from each other, they we're both smiling. "I should get going" Brooke said, her heart pounding from it all.

"So soon" he slightly whined, wanting more.

"Lucas" Brooke said, pulling back from his affection, "I have to get Bella home" she stated, using the kid excused. She knew she had to stop for now, before things got really heated. She quickly opened the door, and got into her car.

"Bye Brooke"

"Bye Lucas" she smiled, closing the door and starting the ignition. They looked at each other once more, then Brooke put the car into drive. As she was driving off, she couldn't help but smile. She was elated, after five long years, she and Lucas had finally kissed. How long had she wanted it? She didn't even know, but she knew one thing was certain… she wanted more!

 **OMG Brucas Kissed! Please Review :)**


	8. Based on a Feeling

**To clarify: The novel turning into the movie is the Unkindness of Raven's, just like the show. But in this Fanfic, Lucas didn't write 'The Comet', but he will being writing another book in future chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis!**

 _Brooke was running around TRIC; looking, searching, and praying. She was in full panic mode, and couldn't calm down. "Bella" she called, "Bella". She was searching anywhere she thought her daughter might be. She kept calling out her name, but to no avail. She quickly ran outside, passing Lucas in the entry. She was looking around the parking lot, from the top of the stairs. "ISABELLA!" she screamed, her terrible feeling coming true. Where could her daughter be…?_

-4 HOURS EARLIER-

"Bella, where are you?" Brooke called out, into the open TRIC. She was helping Peyton with some decorating, for Lucas's celebration night at TRIC. Well, today was the day, and Brooke was setting up with Peyton. Karen was out with Lily getting last minute things, and Haley was coming later. Since it was Saturday, Brooke took Isabella with her.

"Bella" Brooke said. She hadn't seen her daughter for a few minutes, since she was busy with decorating. Brooke walked towards the stage, knowing most five year olds would be attracted to the stage. "Bella" she said again.

"Yes Mama" Brooke heard a little voice say.

"Come here please" She said, then watched as a few seconds later, her daughter appeared on the stage, from behind the curtain. Brooke looked at her firmly, "Isabella, are you allowed to wonder off like that?" Bella shook her head no.

"Alright, well don't do it again" she warned, then her expression soften "Come here you little monkey" she said, extending her arms out to Bella. Isabella ran over to her mama's awaiting arms, and Brooke picked her up. "I don't know what I'd do, if I lost you" Brooke stated, carrying Bella over to where Peyton was.

"Trying to be all rock-star, Bella" Peyton laughed.

"I was looking 'hind the stage" Bella stated, as Brooke set her down. Then Brooke and Peyton continued with decorating, putting up signs on the walls, as Bella watched them. They were working for a while, until they heard the door open. They turned and saw Haley coming in. "Hello Ladies" Haley said, coming over to them. "Hey Hales" Brooke greeted.

"Aunt Haley" Bella squealed, running over to her aunt, "Where's Jamie?"

"Jamie is with your Uncle Nathan" Haley said, crouching down to her level.

"Oh…" Bella sighed sadly, she wanted to play with her cousin. "When will he get here?"

"He'll be here in a little bit" Haley answered, feeling bad that her niece was upset. "Hey" she smiled, "Why don't we help your mom and Aunt Peyton decorate? It's your daddy's party tonight"

"I've already been helping"

"Ha" Peyton laughed, pulling a box of lights out. "Izzy you've been sitting there"

"Na huh"

"Ah huh" Peyton argued.

"Na huh"

"Okay kids, stop arguing" Brooke laughed. It was hilarious to watch Peyton and Isabella argue. They could argue for a long time, mainly because Bella was just like Brooke. "Bella, if you don't want to help. You can go talk with Chase, he just got here" Brooke said, pointing to the bar.

"Okay" Bella said, walking over to the bar. She climbed onto the bar stool. "Hi Chase"

Chase was crouched down behind the counter, "Hey Izzy" he said, organizing bottles.

"What are you doing?" she asked, leaning over the counter. Chase stood up, "I'm organizing the stuff behind here. It's my job because I'm a—"

"Bar manager" Bella finished.

"Cute" he commented, "Wow nice shirt Kid"

"Thank you, Aunt Peyton gave it to me" Bella said, looking down at her shirt. Peyton had taken an old TRIC shirt and with Brooke's help, tailored it down to Bella's size. Then they put the 'Red Bedroom' label and a saying on the back, for advertising. Isabella had fallen in love with the shirt when they gave it to her.

"So since you're wearing a TRIC shirt, do you have a job here now?" Chase asked.

"Yes she does" Peyton said, coming to stand beside her, "Izzy has the most important job" she stated, as she turn Bella around on the bar stool, revealing the back of her shirt.

"Red Bedroom Records. Support my Aunt, and Tree Hill's very own Peyton Sawyer" Chase read, "Clever!"

"I thought so" Peyton smiled, turning Isabella back around. "Hey Izzy, I needed someone to test the mic for tonight. You wanna test it"

"Really?" Bella asked excited.

"Yep" Peyton confirmed, lifting her down. "Get on the stage, kid" she laughed.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Nathan and Jamie arrived later, along with Karen and Lily. Karen and Haley were talking when Jamie came up to his mom, and pulled on her shirt, "Mama"

Haley paused her conversation she was having with Karen, and looked down to her son "What buddy?"

"Did you bring my DS, Izzy and I were gonna play it?"

"Yeah, it's in my car. I'll go get it but you stay here with Karen, okay?" she asked. Jamie nodded his head. "I'll be right back" she said, then started walking away. Haley went through the parking lot, and opened the door of her car. As she was grabbing Jamie's backpack, she saw a familiar someone in his SUV. "Damn it Dan" she mumbled, setting the backpack back down and going over to talk with him. She wasn't scared of him, and had no hesitation telling him to back off. She wanted him to stay away from her family.

"Can I help you" Haley said, walking up to the passenger window of his car. Dan looked at her and smirked, "Hello Haley"

"Save it." She scoffed, "you're not going in there. And you're not going to talk with my son, my husband, Lucas, or my niece for that matter."

"You should be careful about being so bossy, I've been in prison a long time. Kind of sexy"

"Don't screw with me, Dan" Haley said boldly, "This is the last conversation you and I will ever have. Enjoy your reprehensible, miserable life, and get the hell out of here". Then she went back to her car, and watched over her shoulder as Dan drove out of the parking lot.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

The party had been in full swing for at least an hour. TRIC was packed full of Lucas's family and friends. Haley and Peyton had selected some of Lucas's favorite songs, so they could be played on the stereo. So while the party was going, Brooke was sitting at the bar with Haley, Peyton and Bella. "Daddy" Bella shrieked, seeing Lucas coming over to them.

"Hey baby girl" Lucas greeted, picking up Bella.

"Hi Daddy" she said, giving him a kiss. It made Brooke smile to see the interaction between the two. Isabella absolutely loved Lucas, and Lucas loved his little girl.

"You look pretty" Lucas said, noticing Bella's outfit.

"Daddy, look at my shirt" Bella squealed. Lucas set her to her feet, and she began twirling around so he could see the back of the shirt. "Red Bedroom Records. Nice touch Peyton" he complimented.

"Yeah I thought so"

Lucas leaned against the counter by Brooke, and whispered in her ear "You look sexy tonight"

"Lucas!" she muttered, starting to blush. Peyton and Haley watched the two, suspicions rising. Lucas talked with her for a few minutes, until he looked over and saw Nathan sitting alone on the couch. "Hey, I'm going to go talk with Nathan" Lucas said, leaving Brooke's side. Brooke watched as he walked away. She was staring at him, thinking about their total make-out the other night. They hadn't kissed since then, but Brooke had definitely been thinking about it.

Haley looked at Brooke's face, seeing the way she was staring at Lucas. She could also tell that she was keeping something from them, "So Brooke, what are you not telling us?"

"What?" she asked, getting caught off guard.

"There's something you're keeping from us, I'm guessing it has something to do with Lucas"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Brooke said, taking her glass of wine, walking away from the bar. Haley and Peyton followed her closely. "Brooke, come on" Peyton said. Brooke turned around, facing them. "Fine!"

"What is it?" Haley begged.

"Lucas and I sort a…kissed" she whispered the last part.

"Wait was that?" Haley asked suspiciously. Brooke looked at them, starting to blush. The thought of her and Lucas kissing made her heart start to race. "Lucas and I kissed, ok!"

"Oh my god" they both said.

"It's not that big of a deal"

"Brooke, this is huge. You and Lucas haven't kissed in five years" Haley said. "Are you getting back together?" Peyton asked.

"We haven't really talked about it" Brooke admitted.

"Well you need to" Haley exclaimed, "You guys have a child together; it makes sense for you to get back together" "Yeah, you two should get back together" Peyton added.

"It would be nice" Brooke smiled. She was thinking what it would be like to be back with Lucas again. The idea made her smile, thinking about all the happy memories she had with Lucas. It would be nice for Bella to have her parents together. But Brooke also had some hesitation about being with him again. With all the hurt Lucas caused her in the past, she didn't know if she could go through another heartbreak with him.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Nathan was sitting alone on the couch, when Lucas walked up. "Hey man" he said, sitting down.

"Hey"

"How you doing?"

"Terrible" Nathan answered simply.

"That bad, huh?"

"I've been sleeping on the couch for two weeks. That's how bad"

"Oh" Lucas exclaimed. "Have you two tried talking?"

"I've tried, but Haley won't talk to me. She avoids me every second she can" he sighed.

"She's hurting Nathan. You just have to give it some time"

"Lucas, I don't want to give it time. I just want my wife and family back" Nathan pleaded.

"All I can say is keep trying to make it up to her. She'll come around eventually" Lucas said, offering his advice. He felt terrible that his brother was in this situation, but he also felt bad for Haley at the same time.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke hadn't seen her daughter for some time. She walked around the TRIC, trying to see if she could find her. She then noticed that she couldn't find any of the three little kids, and saw that none of the adults were missing, so the kids must've been on their own somewhere. As Brooke was walking past the door that led to Red Bedroom records, she could hear little voices and giggles coming from the studio. She opened the door, and walked into the room. Brooke's eyes went wide in surprise as she found her daughter spinning in Peyton's chair, with Jamie and Lily looking at stuff on the desk.

When she entered the studio, three pairs of eyes quickly looked up to her, scared they we're in trouble. "Isabella Karen Davis!" Brooke said sharply, causing Bella sink back in the chair. Brooke was getting upset that her daughter kept wondering off like this. She pointed to the spot in front of her "Come here"

Bella slowly got off the chair, and went to her mama, keeping her little head down. Brooke placed her finger under Bella's chin, causing her to look up. "Are you supposed to be in here?" Brooke asked seriously.

"No mommy" she whispered.

"Exactly No" Brooke scolded, "Isabella you have been wondering off all day, and you know better than to do that. So for the rest of the night, you'll be staying by an adult"

"That's not fair" she whined.

"Oh, it is fair young—"Brooke started to say, but was interrupted when Lucas came into the room. "Hey Brooke, what's going on?"

"Isabella decided to wonder off and explore Peyton's studio" She explained,

"Bella!" Lucas said shocked.

"Daddy, we were bored" she pouted. Lucas wanted to smile, because she looked just like Brooke. But he knew he had to take his 'dad' role seriously right now. "Bella, even when you're bored, you still have to be good"

"Yes daddy"

"Alright, now let's get back to the party" he smiled, picking his daughter up. Bella started laughing, as she was hanging upside down. "Daddy!" she laughed.

"Come on Jamie and Lily" he said to his sister and nephew. Jamie and Lily ran out of the room, with Lucas and Brooke following them.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

A little while later, Brooke was at the bar, sipping on a drink when Lucas sat beside her. "Really Brooke, another drink?" he laughed.

"Its water" she informed.

"It's one hell of a party" he noted, "thank you Brooke"

"Don't just thank me, your mom threw this whole thing together"

Lucas lightly laughed, "Well you're the one who suggested it. So I want to say thank you for that"

"Lucas, you're novel is getting turned into a movie. That's a huge accomplishment, of course we'll have a party for you. You worked really hard for it"

"Not as hard as you've worked the last five years" he commented.

"What do you mean?"

"Brooke, you've been raising our daughter alone for the past five years. That's a lot of work. I saw what my mom went through, the sacrifices she made. Its takes someone really strong to be a single mom" he complimented, making Brooke blush.

"Well at least I'm not alone anymore" Brooke smiled, placing her hand over his.

"You'll never be alone again Brooke, because I will always be here for you" he promised. Brooke's eyes filled with tears, as he said this to her. This was the Lucas Scott she had fallen in love with.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

The three little kids had been with Skills since they're exploring incident. Skills had offered to watch them, since he didn't have a date. Right now, Bella and Jamie were in the middle of an Air Hockey game, and Karen had taken Lily to use the bathroom. Skills was standing, watching their little match.

"Wow Mini Davis, you good at this game" Skills commented when Bella made another goal.

Bella smiled with pride, "Thank you Uncle Skills"

Skills looked over to the bar, and saw an attractive lady standing there. "Damn, she's fine". He looked back to the two kids. "Hey, will you two stay right here" Skills asked, wanting to go and talk with that lady. Both Jamie and Bella nodded her heads. "Good, I'm gonna go find me a lady" he smiled, walking off in the direction of the bar. Bella and Jamie played air hockey for a few minutes, until Bella stopped the game. "I'm bored" she complained.

"Me too" he sighed. Bella smiled mischievously, "Wanna go look around?"

"But Uncle Skills told us to stay here"

"But he won't know. He's over there" she pointed to Skills on the other end of TRIC. "Come on Jamie" she begged.

"Fine" he agreed, jumping off the chair. Bella smiled, as she hopped off the stool. "Where do we go?" Jamie asked.

"Follow me" Bella said, taking Jamie's hand. They began walking towards the back room, carefully making sure their Mama's weren't watching them. Bella opened the door, and they quickly went in. They were in there for about five seconds when they heard "Jamie, Bella". Startled, they quickly turned to the voice.

"Nanny Carrie!" they smiled, running over to her.

"Hey" she said, giving them a hug, "Gosh I missed you guys so much"

"What are you doing here?" Jamie asked.

"Well both your mommy's and daddy's said I could be with you two again. Oh, I get you guys back and I am so happy. Come on" she said.

"We're not supposed to leave without telling, maybe I should ask my mama first" Bella said, being apprehensive. "Yeah, me too" Jamie agreed.

"Bella, Jamie. You know I love you guys. Don't you two, trust me?" Carrie asked, manipulating their little minds. Bella and Jamie looked at each other, then back to Nanny Carrie. "Yes" they both said. Carrie smiled to them. "Alright", she went over to the back door which led to the outside. She opened the door, "Come on" she said. Bella and Jamie walked over, and went out the door with Carrie.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

It had been almost four hours since Brooke had caught Bella wondering around the stage. Lucas, Brooke and Peyton were standing together, talking about Peyton's recently signed band. She was talking about the piano girl when she looked over her shoulder, and gave a very surprised look, "Jake!" she exclaimed, running over to the familiar face.

Lucas and Brooke we're both surprised by the return of their old familiar classmate. Lucas turned and put his glass on the table. When he looked up to the doorway, he leaned his head back in frustration, "Lindsay" he sighed. He turned to Brooke and said, "I'll be right back". Then he walked over to his 'girlfriend'. Brooke watched as Lucas walked over to Lindsay, then saw as they went into the entry to talk. She picked up her glass of water, and as she was taking a sip, she heard Haley's panicked voice call from behind her "Brooke!"

Brooke turned her head, and saw how panicked Haley was, "What?" she asked quickly, starting to become concerned.

"I can't— I can't Jamie or Bella anywhere!"

"What?" Brooke exclaimed, starting to panic too. But then she remembered that Bella had been wondering around TRIC that whole afternoon. Bella was probably off with Jamie exploring somewhere they weren't supposed to. "Haley, calm down. They're probably just playing around somewhere" she said more to herself than Haley. She didn't know why, but she was a terrible feeling that this wasn't just Bella exploring around. It was a feeling she couldn't shake.

"No, I've looked everywhere, Brooke" Haley explained.

"Okay, let's keep looking" Brooke said. She looked over to Lucas, wanting to ask him to help look too. But she saw that he was busy talking with Lindsay, and didn't want to bother him. She turned back to Haley "You go check around this main room and the recording studio. They might be playing in there. I'll check the stage and backrooms"

"Ok" Haley said, then went off searching.

Brooke quickly walked over to the stage, and went behind the stage. "Bella, Jamie" she called. She walked through the backstage, and then went searching in the backrooms. She started to become panicked, as she was searching.

After ten minutes of searching, the two little kids still couldn't be found. Brooke was running around TRIC; looking, searching, and praying. She was in full panic mode, and couldn't calm down. "Bella" she called, "Bella". She was searching anywhere she thought her daughter might be. She kept calling out her name, but to no avail. She quickly ran outside, passing Lucas in the entry. She was looking around the parking lot, from the top of the stairs. "ISABELLA!" she screamed, her terrible feeling coming true. Where could her daughter be…?

 **Cliffhanger! Please Review ;)**


	9. The person we grew to hate

**Again, I cannot thank you guys enough for the reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

 _Previously:_

 _Brooke was running around TRIC; looking, searching, and praying. She was in full panic mode, and couldn't calm down. "Bella" she called, "Bella". She was searching anywhere she thought her daughter might be. She kept calling out her name, but to no avail. She quickly ran outside, passing Lucas in the entry. She was looking around the parking lot, from the top of the stairs. "ISABELLA!" she screamed, her terrible feeling coming true. Where could her daughter be…?_

"Isabella" Brooke shouted again, starting to breakdown in fear. She was going to shout again, when she heard Lucas's voice. "Brooke, what's wrong?"

Brooke looked at him, fear and panic in her face. "We can't find Bella and Jamie"

"What?"

"They're missing, Lucas. Haley and I've searched everywhere" she said fearfully. Lucas felt his heart stopped, by this new revelation. He felt freighted, not knowing where his little girl was. "Brooke, we have to keep—"he was cut off, by the door opening and Lindsay appearing on the stair landing.

"Lucas, we need to talk" Lindsay stated, feeling annoyed with Brooke at the moment. Lucas shook his head, putting his arm around Brooke, "I don't have time, Brooke and I…"

"I don't care whatever little issue you're having with Brooke, we need to talk" she said snotty. The minute she said that, anger took hold of Brooke, and she got right in Lindsay's face. "Look Hoe-Bag, we're not just having a little issue. _Our_ daughter is missing, so your talk can wait!"

Lindsay looked up to Lucas baffled, " _Daughter?_ You have a daughter?"

"Yes he has a daughter" Brooke hissed, "Now I suggest that you leave, now! Before I do something I regret!"

"Wow, I was right about you, you are a bitch" Lindsay commented. It took every fiber in Brooke's being, not to punch Lindsay. But she had other things to worry about, mainly her daughter that was missing. Though the next words that were spoken, made Brooke smile.

"You know what Lindsay, we're done" Lucas stated. No one called his Brooke a bitch and got away with it. He had wanted to be done with Lindsay for a while, and this incident showed her true colors.

Lindsay's eyes started to fill with tears, "Luke, you can't mean that"

"Oh, I mean it" he said with no regret.

"Luke"

"Lindsay, we're done. Now leave!" he raised his voice, pointing to the stairs. Lindsay looked at him, and seeing how serious he was, started to walk down the stairs.

"Serves you right, whore" Brooke retorted, while Lucas open the door. Then she followed Lucas inside.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Where are we going?" Jamie asked. He and Bella we're in a car with Nanny Carrie.

"We're going on a little trip" Carrie answered, looking at Jamie in the rearview mirror, not noticing the black SUV that had been following her for over an hour.

"Does Mommy know where we're going?" Bella asked.

"I think so" she answered, then turned her attention back on the road, while quietly saying "It doesn't matter, because I'm your mama now"

Bella looked to Carrie in fear. She had heard what Carrie said, and even at her young age, knew something was wrong. She quietly lean over, and whispered in Jamie's ear "I want my mommy".

"Me too" he whispered back, on the verge of tears.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Lucas and Brooke walked over to where everyone else was. "Anything?" Brooke asked hopefully.

"Brooke, we've looked everywhere" Peyton said. It was true, Peyton, Jake, and all their friends had searched everywhere for the two little kids.

"Dan was here" Haley informed, on the brink of tears. Everyone looked at her in shocked. "He was here, and I told him he couldn't come in, and to stay away from us"

Nathan and Lucas both felt fear when they heard that, knowing what their father was capable of. Dan had wanted to see the kids, but both brothers refused. Now it seemed that Dan had taken matters into his own hands.

"We go to call the police" Nathan stated, taking out his phone. The police showed up minutes later, two officers coming up to the four adults. "We got a call about missing children" the one officer said.

"Yes, my son and niece are missing" Nathan stated, fear and panic in his voice.

"They both went missing, together?" The one officer asked nonchalantly.

"Yes" He snapped, angry how careless the officer was, "But you have to understand this; my name is Nathan Scott, and this is my brother Lucas Scott. Our father is Dan Scott. He was arrested for murder, okay? He's a bad guy, and he was here today" he explained.

The officers knew who he was talking about, and got on their radio's immediately. "We're going to need an exact description of the two kids" he said. Haley gave them the information on Jamie, then the officer asked Brooke for a description of Bella.

Never in Brooke's life, did she think that she would be giving a description of her daughter to the police. She was in so much shock, and had so much fear; she could barely speak the word. "Her name is Isabella Karen Davis, she's five years old. She has brown hair, and blue eyes. She was wearing a black shirt that said TRIC on the front, with a jean skirt and pink leggings"

The officer wrote it down, and turned back to the other officers. Brooke just couldn't believe it, her daughter was missing; and all she could do was wait.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

It was dark outside, when Bella and Jamie started to complain that they were hungry, Carrie turned off the road, heading to the store. She parked in back of the store, then turned around and looked at the two, "I'm going to go into the store and get some snacks, but you guys are going to stay in the car. So while I'm in there, you two have to stay in the car. Bella, I'm going to have you climb up here in this seat, and lock the car, ok?" she explained, smiling at Isabella.

"Okay" Bella agreed, while Jamie nodded his head. Carrie opened the door, and waved Bella to come up. Isabella climbed over the seat, and sat down. "Lock this as soon as I shut the door" Carrie instructed, then she shut and door, and waited for Bella to lock the door, before walking off.

As soon as Carrie turned the corner and was out of sight, a black SUV pulled up next to the car. Dan quickly got out, and ran over to the kids. He knocked on the glass, "Isabella"

Bella looked up to the man, freighted.

"Isabella, can you open the door?" Dan asked. Bella shook her head no, scared because she didn't know who this man was. But Dan kept trying "Isabella, I'm your grandpa. I'm taking you and Jamie back to your family"

"How are you my Grandpa?" Bella asked through the glass.

Dan smirked, _"Smart kid" he thought._ "I'm your dad's father. Your daddy is Lucas, right?" he asked. Bella nodded her head, while Dan continued, "And your mom is Brooke?" again, Bella nodded her head. "I'm Lucas's father, your grandpa. Right now, I need you to unlock the door; and do it quickly. I will take you and Jamie back"

Isabella put her finger on the unlock button, contemplating to push it. She looked up to Dan.

"Isabella, press it" Dan instructed, hoping to God that the kid listened to him. Bella obeyed, pressing the button. Dan quickly opened the door, and pulled Isabella out, then he went over and opened Jamie's door. Jamie got out, and Dan led them over to his SUV. As he was helping them into the back seat, he told them in a serious tone "Jamie, Isabella. I need you hide on the floor, and not look out the window"

"Why Grandpa Dan?" Jamie asked.

"Because" he answered, lifting Bella in, "I'm going to have to do some things, you shouldn't see", then after checking that they were both on the SUV floor, he shut the door. As he was walking to her car, he threw a rock; shattering the only light that was behind the store, making it completely pitch black. He climbed into the back of the car, behind the driver's seat and waited.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Lucas had just finished talking with his mom, when he noticed Brooke sitting on the couch. The police had told them to go wait at Nathan and Haley's house. So everyone had gathered there, awaiting news on the two kids.

Lucas went over, and sat down next to Brooke on the couch. He had so much fear about where his daughter and nephew were right now, but he had to be strong for Brooke. He noticed how distant Brooke looked, she didn't even seem to notice that he was sitting there. "Brooke, they're going to find them" he assured.

"I lost my baby" Brooke said, looking straight ahead. Lucas grabbed her hand, and held it in his. He could see tears forming in her eyes. "I shouldn't have gotten upset at her today" she stated, getting mad at herself.

"But Brooke, you didn't" he reasoned. But Brooke shook her head, tears coming down her face, "I did" she cried.

"Come here" he said, wrapping his arms around her. He let her cry for a few moments. "I don't know how I can live without her" she sobbed into his shoulder.

"You're not going to, because they're going to find her". He held onto her tight, hoping that his own words were true.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Nanny Carrie came around the corner of the store. She noticed the light was out, but thought nothing of it. She walked to the car, and opened the door. "Bella" she scolded, tossing the bag to the passenger seat, not looking in the backseat. She sat in the car, and shut the door "I told you to keep it…agh!" she struggled, as Dan put his arm around her neck; in a choke hold. He held tight as she gasped for air.

"My name is Dan Scott. I think you know my grandchildren" Dan said, making his hold tight, "Well you're done knowing them, for the rest of time. And if you ever, _ever_ go anywhere near my family again. Let's just say this—"he got closer to her ear, making his words menacing "I killed my brother in cold blood, I'd have no problem killing you. NOW, you are going to drive away, and go back to wherever the hell you came from, alright?"

Carrie lightly nodded her head, unable to speak.

Dan let go of her, and opened the door. He got out, and started to make his way over to his car, not bothering to look back. He knew that the stupid psycho would listen to him, because everyone was afraid of him.

He got into his car, and shut the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carrie's car drive away, and silently smirked to himself. He turned to the two little kids, still on the floor. "You guys can come up now"

Bella and Jamie sat up. "Did she leave?" Bella asked scared.

"You won't see her again" he promised, as he looked at her. After seeing her in the light, he saw how much she looked like Lucas. She had Lucas's blue eyes, that very same as his own. He knew that he wanted to be a grandpa to Isabella, just as much as Jamie. They were both equally his grandchildren, regardless of who the father was; and he would always protected them, like he just did.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke was still in Lucas's arms, when she heard a little voice, "Mama". She turned her head in disbelief, as she saw Bella and Jamie come into the room. "Bella" she exclaimed, running to her daughter, as Haley did the same with Jamie. Everyone in the room, gave a sigh of relief.

She picked her up, and held her in her arms. "Oh, baby" she said, kissing her on the head. Lucas joined Brooke's side, as Nathan joined Haley's.

"Are you guys okay?" Haley asked, holding onto her son.

"We're fine, Aunt Haley" Bella said. "Yeah, Grandpa Dan saved us" Jamie added.

"What?" Lucas said. Then everyone turned their attention, to the person they grew to hate, who had just walked into the room. Dan Scott.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke carried Isabella inside their house, with Lucas following behind them. They were all three exhausted with the day, and even surprised by the fact that Dan had saved the kids.

Brooke had refused to leave her daughter, even sitting in the back seat with her while Lucas drove home. She was so relieved that her daughter was back safe with her. So she carried her daughter into the kitchen, and turned to Lucas "Can you get her some water, the sippy cups are up there" she pointed to the one of the cabinets, "I'm going to get her in pajamas, and put her in my bed"

"K" he said, heading to the kitchen, as Brooke carried Isabella off to the bedroom. He grabbed the sippy cup from the cabinet, and filled it with water. He carried it to Brooke's bedroom, and waited in there for them. A few minutes later, they both came into Brooke's bedroom. Bella hopped on the bed, and looked to Lucas.

"Daddy, can you stay" She begged. Lucas looked at her, wanting to say yes. It was so adorable the way she was holding her bear, and he could tell she was fighting sleep. "I—"he looked to Brooke, wanting her to answer their daughter.

"Of course Daddy can stay until you fall asleep" Brooke answered, winking at him. Their daughter's needs came first, and she wanted both her parents tonight. Lucas and Brooke laid on the bed, with Bella in between them. Isabella cuddled with Lucas, with her head laying on his arm. Brooke smiled at this, then turned off the lamp.

The family laid there in bed for a while, Lucas and Brooke each lost in their out thoughts, exhausted with the day. After a while, they could hear Bella quietly snore, knowing she was asleep.

"Lucas" Brooke whispered over their sleeping daughter.

"What?"

"Did you really mean what you said earlier, that you and Lindsay are done?" she asked quietly. She had just thought of it, while she was laying there.

"Yeah, we're done" he said honestly. And truth be told, he felt relief that he was done with Lindsay. "Why?" he asked.

"No reason" she smiled, kissing her sleeping daughter on the head; though she was silently elated with the confirmation.

 **Tell me what you think, and Review!**


	10. Kissing and Stuff

**Hey Guys. Wow! I can believe this is my tenth chapter. I feel so lucky to have the support of all my reviewers. One of my guest reviews suggested a scene, so I decided to write it in. So if you're reading, thanks for the suggestions.**

 **Something you need to know- Just like the show, this chapter jumps ahead six weeks.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis.**

-SIX WEEKS LATER-

"Isabella breakfast" Brooke called from the kitchen; she was at the stove, attempting to make eggs for her daughter.

"Coming Mom" Bella shouted, running into the kitchen, still in her pajamas. She went over to the counter, and climbed onto the kitchen stool. "Breakfast is served" Brooke smiled, placing a plate in front of her. Bella looked down, disgusted at her plate of burned eggs and toast. "Mama, when's Aunt Peyton coming back?" she asked.

"Coming back? Sweetie she didn't leave"

"Ah huh, she's never here anymore" Bella argued.

"Well that's because Aunt Peyton is dating Jake. She's just over at his house a lot, and helping with Jenny too"

"Dating?" Bella was trying to think what dating was all about. "Is that when you kiss and stuff?" she asked innocently. Brooke lightly laughed at her question, "Yeah, you kiss when you're dating".

"Is that all you do?"

"Yes" Brooke answered quickly, wanting her five year old to think that's all you do when you date. She wasn't ready to explain boys and sex to Bella for another ten years, so she hoped that answer would satisfy her daughter.

"Ok" Bella said happily, then she looked down at her plate again, "I really miss Aunt Peyton's food"

"What! You don't like my food?"

"Mama, yesterday you made me a grilled cheese without the cheese"

"Well the recipe said remove cheese…You know what it doesn't matter" Brooke said flustered, "My cooking is good, right?"

Isabella looked at her mama seriously, "I'm not s'posed to lie"

"Well fine, little miss" Brooke said, walking over to her daughter, lifting her off the chair. She put her to her feet, with a playful swat to her bottom. "Go get dressed for school, and I will get you some cereal"

"Cereal again" Bella complained, with a mischievous smile.

"Go!" Brooke pointed to her room. Bella smiled at Brooke, then skipped off to her room laughing. Brooke shook her head, thinking how her daughter was _so_ much like Lucas.

* * *

After Brooke dropped Isabella off at school, she went over to Red Bedroom Records in search of her disappearing roommate. She walked through TRIC, and opened the doors. "Well, I finally found my long lost roommate!" Brooke exclaimed, seeing Peyton at her desk, and Haley sitting in one of the chairs.

"Hello Brooke" Peyton said, giving her a face. "Hey" Haley greeted.

Brooke walked over and sat down in the other chair, opposite of Haley. "So Jake must be awesome, since you haven't been home in four days" she said, looking at Peyton with a raised eyebrow.

"You haven't been home in four days?" Haley looked at Peyton, surprised.

"Well…I…" she mumbled, feeling bad that she had been gone for so long. "He must be good" Brooke said seductively.

"Brooke!" Peyton started to blush.

"You're so crude" Haley laughed.

"Well" Brooke shrugged her shoulder, "Anyways, you have a five year old niece who is missing you, and your food; Apparently, I can't cook"

"I could have told you that" Peyton smiled. Brooke stuck her tongue out at her, "So when do you think you'll be coming home?"

Peyton took a deep breath, hesitating to tell her something. Both Brooke and Haley looked at her questioningly. "Jake, kind of asked me to move in"

"What!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Wow!" Haley said shocked, "You guys just started dating a month ago"

"Yeah I know, but it's like we we're never apart; its feels just like last time did, and I'm so happy with him". Brooke and Haley smiled, seeing how happy Peyton was again. They didn't think that she would ever get over Lucas, and she proved them both wrong. "But" Peyton continued, "It's still too early, so I told him that I thought we should wait, give it some more time"

"That makes sense" Haley voiced.

"So when will you be coming back?" Brooke asked.

"Well, I promised Jenny that I would watch a movie with her tonight, so probably tomorrow"

"Okay"

"Oh, tonight, that reminds me" Haley remembered, turning to Brooke, "Jamie has been bugging me to let him have a sleepover with Izzy. So I thought that tonight Izzy could come over, if it's alright with you?"

"I don't know" she hesitated, she hadn't spent a night away from Bella since the kidnaping. Isabella was scared for a few weeks after the abduction, but then returned to her normal self. It was Brooke who didn't know if she was ready to spend a night away from her baby.

"Come on Brooke, Isabella will be with Nathan and I. So she'll be safe, and you deserve to have a kid-free night" Haley coaxed.

"But you deserve to have a kid free night too"

"Exactly. You can take my little monster next Friday, Nathan and I have reservations in Charlotte" Haley answered.

"Oh, I see you've figured this all out" she laughed, then took a deep breath. "Fine, Bella can sleep over tonight"

"Thank you, but um' can you drop her off" Haley smiled, "I don't have time since I don't have a nanny anymore"

"Ok, I'll be there after work. Oh' the store—"Brooke looked at the time, "I have to get to the store, so I'll see you guys later" she started to rush out the door. "Bye Brooke" they both said. Brooke walked out the door, and started to rush out of TRIC. She didn't look where she was going, and ran into someone. "Oh My God! I am so sorry" Brooke apologized quickly, starting picking up the papers that had just fell out of the person's hand's.

"Its fine" the guys said, picking up the papers too. Brooke looked up when she heard the unfamiliar voice. She saw a man she had never seen before. "I'm not being rude, but who are you?" she asked.

The guy laughed, standing up. He offered his hand and helped Brooke up. "I'm Julian Baker"

"Brooke" she introduced, but was still confused. "But why are you here at TRIC?"

"I'm a movie producer"

"Oh, so you're producer for the Unkindness of Ravens?" she said, putting two and two together. "I'm with Lucas, he told me about you" she explained.

"Wait a minute. You said you're name was Brooke, you wouldn't happen to be that Brooke Davis?"

"The one and only" she smiled. Julian smiled back at her, thinking about everything he had read about her from the novel; she was more beautiful than Lucas had described. "So you're with Lucas?"

"Well we have a daughter together, so if that makes us together"

"Yeah, he was said he had a daughter, but I—"he was interrupted by Lucas's voice, as he came into the room. "Brooke, I didn't know you'd be here!" Lucas exclaimed surprised, walking over to her.

"Yeah well, I had to track down my missing roommate" she laughed, as Lucas came to her side.

"So this is the producer, Julian Baker" he introduced, not knowing about their former conversation.

"Yeah, I know. We just met, I ran into him from my clumsiness" Brooke explained, "Sorry about that"

"It's fine" Julian offered, still smiling at her. Lucas noticed how Julian kept smiling and wouldn't take his eyes off her, but he shrugged it off.

Brooke looked at her watch, seeing that Millie would be calling her if she didn't leave now. "I have to get going, Millie is going to have a fit if I don't get there soon"

"Oh hey" Lucas stopped her, "since its Friday night, I thought you could come over for dinner?" he asked. It wasn't uncommon that he asked this. He went over to Brooke's for dinner a couple times a week, or Brooke and Bella went to his house. They were trying to give Bella some stability in her life, especially after the abduction. And Isabella was adamant that her daddy came over more, she wanted both her parents.

"Ok" Brooke agreed.

"Alright, I'll see you later then"

"Bye Luke" she started to walk away, "It was nice to meet you Julian"

"You too Brooke" Julian smiled.

* * *

Lucas finished work early, he had to take care of something he felt like he needed to do. He pulled his car up to a familiar house, and turned off the ignition. He stared at the house for a few seconds; it had been years since he'd been here.

He got out of the car, and walked up the sidewalk. He stopped at the door, taking a deep breath before knocking. A couple seconds later, the man opened the door. "Lucas?" Dan said surprised, his first born son was the last person he thought he'd see visit him.

"Dan" Lucas greeted.

"Come in" Dan offered, opening the door. Lucas accepted, walking into the house. Dan offered him a seat on the couch, and they both sat down, Dan taking the chair. "So what attributes to this surprise visit?" Dan asked.

"Well Dan, I'm here to thank you… Actually" Lucas said. He thought he would never say those words to the man who'd rejected him.

"Thank me?" Dan questioned, "For what?"

"For saving my daughter"

"Oh Lucas please. Isabella is my granddaughter, I did what any other grandfather would do" He reasoned, then added, "Give or take a few threats to that psychotic bitch"

"You look at Bella as a granddaughter?" Lucas asked surprised.

"Yes"

"You look at her as a granddaughter, but never looked at me as a son" he tried to wrap his mind around that. Dan had never accepted him as family, but his daughter was?

"Lucas, I can't go back. I can only go forward" he said dramatically. They sat there in silence. Lucas was still trying to think about Dan's latest revelation. "So how is my granddaughter doing?" Dan asked.

"She's good, was scared for a while after the incident but Brooke and I helped her through it"

"Oh, so I take it you and Brooke are still dating?"

"Brooke and I weren't dating. Still aren't"

Dan looked at him, thinking how stupid his son was. "Why aren't you? What are you waiting for?"

"We aren't waiting for anything" he argued. Dan shook his head, and mumbled something Lucas couldn't hear. "Lucas, don't wait. I know Brooke is the one for you. Trust me, if I could go back, I would have picked your mother any day over Deb" Dan admitted. Lucas looked at him, confused.

"That junkie was a train wreck, to put it nicely" he said bitterly, "Karen was a better choice. I one I should have chosen"

Lucas looked at him. He was surprised by this talk with Dan; He considered his daughter family, then admitting his regrets, regarding his mom. He felt strange, never had he had a conversation with Dan, where Dan admitted wrong doings.

* * *

Brooke knocked on Lucas's front door. She had just dropped Bella off for a sleepover at Nathan and Haley's, and was looking forward to her kid free night. She smiled when Lucas opened the door, "Hey".

"Hey" he greeted, stepping aside, letting Brooke it. Then he shut the door, and turned to Brooke, "Aren't you missing someone? About this high" he put his hand to Bella's height.

Brooke laughed, "Isabella is at Nathan and Haley's, having a sleepover with Jamie. Haley asked when I was at studio, if Bella could sleep over tonight. That ok?"

"Oh, yeah that's fine" he answered, as they were walking to the kitchen. He was kind of glad that it was just the two of them tonight, they hadn't had dinner together alone in five years. So tonight would be nice. "Would you like some wine" he asked, gesturing towards the bottle of wine.

"Do you even have to ask" she said seriously. Lucas laughed, and poured two glasses of wine. He handed her the glass, as he started to serve the food. Brooke went over to the cabinet, and pulled out the only two candles Lucas kept in his house. She put them on the table, and lit them. "Candles?" Lucas asked, setting the plates of food down.

"Just a little ambiance" she answered with a smile, then took a seat. "Spaghetti?"

"It's an easy dinner to make" he explained, sitting down too. "Yeah for some people" Brooke mumbled under her breath.

"So how was your day?" Lucas asked, as they started eating.

"It was good. I went to the store, and started some sketches for the company's new line. My mother called this afternoon" she said the part of her mother with disgust in her voice. "But other than that my day was fine. How was your?"

"Well funny you should speak of parents, I went to talk to Dan today" he answered. Brooke looked at him surprised. "You talked with Dan?"

"Yeah, I actually went there to thank him for saving Bella. He deserved that much"

Brooke nodded her head, agreeing. She did have gratitude towards Dan for saving her daughter, but that's where it started and that's where it ended. "So is that all you talked about?"

"Um, yeah that's it" he answered. He wasn't going to tell her what else Dan said. He was still trying to wrap his head around the conversation today.

"So guess what Bella said on the way to school" Brooke said, beginning to tell Lucas a story about their daughter.

They talked easily through dinner. Talking about their daughter, and their own hopes for their jobs. After dinner was finished, they moved their conversation over to the couch. The lights were turned down low, and they both were enjoying their wine.

"Tonight's been really nice" Brooke said, putting her glass on the coffee table. She lean back into the couch, looking into Lucas's eyes.

"Yeah." He agreed, as he stared back at hers, their eye's locking. They stared at each other in the silence for what seemed like a long time. Lucas leaned towards her face, her eyes telling him exactly what he wanted to hear; something he hadn't heard in five years.

He leaned forward, intending on kissing her. But he was caught by surprise when he felt Brooke's lips hit his, her kiss fierce. They sat there kissing each other for a few minutes, then Lucas started kissing neck, as Brooke's hand ran through his hair. Brooke started feeling emotion take over her, wanting Lucas more and more. She grabbed the hem of his shirt, and raised it over his head.

Lucas looked at her, when his shirt came off. He gave her a look, one question on his mind. Brooke smiled at him, confirming his suspicions. He quickly pressed his lips to hers, and pick her up. Brooke let out a squeal when he picked her up, but then continued kissing him as he carried her off to the bedroom.

* * *

Lucas and Brooke woke up the next morning, feet tangled around each other. Their clothes were sprawled throughout the room, a blanket and sheet covering them. Brooke had her head on Lucas's bare chest, and his arm was around her. Brooke opened her eyes, adjusting to the light. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was, and who she was with. She smiled thinking about the previous night.

"What are you smiling about" Lucas said groggily, his voice heavy from sleep.

Brooke moved her head, so it was resting on his shoulder. She looked at him seductively, "Just about last night"

"It was an amazing night" he smiled. They laid there quietly, enjoying the memories on the night and thinking about each other. Brooke absentmindedly drummed her fingers on his chest. "So what are we now?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Are we dating now? Or was this just a hook-up, one night stand thing?" she clarified her question. Lucas looked at her and said, "Well, I would like for us to be dating again."

"Me too" she decided, then she started to smile; remembering her daughter's question and idea of dating. "So since we're dating, we get to kiss and stuff, right?"

Lucas looked at her confused, so Brooke finished, "Bella asked me if dating was kissing and stuff" she laughed. "And then she asked me if there was more 'stuff' you do when you're dating."

"Oh god," Lucas laughed, "I'm in for it when she starts dating!"

"We're _both_ in for it." Brooke revised with a smile.

Lucas smiled back at her. "So let's do the stuff part" he said, pulling her on top of him. "Lucas!" she exclaimed laughing.

"What? It's what you do when you're dating. You even said so." Lucas reasoned. Brooke looked at him, trying to figure out how amazing her life was now, compared to a few months ago. She wouldn't change a second of her life now. "Works for me." she smirked, giving into Lucas. She started kissing him, and he kissed her back.

 **Was it too soon for Brucas? Tell me what you really think! REVIEW!**


	11. Mothers and Daughters

**OMG…Wow. 107 reviews! I'm bouncing off the walls.**

 **FYI- I'm not going to be able to update for a couple of days. I'm busy planning for my birthday, which is on Monday. Super excited, huge birthday for me ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

"Well finally my girls show up?" Lucas smiled. He was sitting on the porch of his house, just as Brooke and Bella came walking up. It was Saturday, so Brooke and Lucas decided to make it a family day with just them and Bella. They were planning on going out to lunch, and telling Bella about their dating.

"Daddy, Mom took forever to get ready" Isabella said dramatically, running up to Lucas. He laughed at his daughter's dramatics and looked up to Brooke. "Well don't you look beautiful" he complimented to her. They had been officially dating for a week, and he'd loved every minute of it.

"Thanks" she smiled, blushing.

"I wanted to wear make-up too, but mommy said no" Bella stated indigently. "Well that's a good thing" Lucas stood, and picked her up, "You're not allowed to wear make-up for another twenty years"

"But daddy, I'll be—"she tapped her chin, thinking. "Thirty two"

Lucas and Brooke both looked at her, confused by her math. "She gets that from you" Lucas smirked. Brooke made a face, and stuck her tongue out. Lucas put Bella to her feet, and walked over to Brooke. He gave her a kiss, "Ready to go?" Lucas asked.

"Yep" she smiled, kissing once more. Isabella looked at them with a questioning look, but didn't say anything. Brooke grabbed Bella's hand and they made their way over to Lucas's Mustang. She opened the door, and slid the seat forward, allowing Isabella to climb into the back seat. "Bella, seatbelt" Brooke said, as Bella sat in her car-seat.

"But Mama" she objected. Brooke slid the seat back, and sat down; closing the door. "Bella, do it" she said.

"But I don't like it" she said stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest. Isabella had been going through a phase where she didn't like to wear her seatbelt. She would fight with Brooke, and refuse to wear it.

"Isabella. Now" Brooke said warningly.

"No"

Brooke turned around in her seat, and looked at her daughter. She gave her a stern look, and warned firmly "Isabella Karen Davis. You buckle that right now, or I will do it for you"

Bella looked at her, defiance all over her face. It was a mother daughter stare off, Brooke raised her eyebrow and Bella continued to pout. "Fine" Brooke stated, starting to open her door. "Brooke wait—"Lucas said, stopping her. Brooke turned to him, wondering what he was going to do.

"Hey Bella"

"Yeah daddy?"

"Do you want to get ice cream after lunch?" he asked.

"Yes" she answered excitedly.

"Well if you listen to Mom and buckle the seatbelt, we can get some later" Lucas compromised. Bella smiled, and quickly buckle herself into car-seat. Lucas turned back in his seat and looked to Brooke; who was firing an angry glare at him. "What?"

"Lucas, you can't just bribe her to listen to us. You have to be a parent and put your foot down"

"I did—"he started to say, when Bella piped up from the back seat, "Daddy's way nicer". Brooke looked to Lucas with a raised eyebrow, "See!"

"You're not helping" Lucas said to the five year old who was smiling. He turned back to Brooke, "Babe—"he tried, but she turned her head, looking out the window; being stubborn at him. He couldn't help but let out a light laugh, and small smile. She and Isabella we're both so stubborn, but he thought it was cute. They we're so much alike, it was crazy.

"Brooke" he grabbed her hand, and tried again, "This is supposed to be our family day, and I didn't want to start it out with you and Bella fighting. I'm sorry". Brooke looked at him, and knew she couldn't stay mad at him. She thought it was kind of adorable how he tried to stop her and Bella's fights.

"Its fine" she smiled.

"So we're good?"

"How's this to answer you" she smiled, leaning over to him; giving him a kiss. Again, Bella saw this but didn't say anything.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

 _Beep!_ Brooke's phone went off for the fourteenth time since they sat down. "Ugh!" she sighed, looking to see who it was from.

"Who's that?" Lucas asked.

"My e-mail" she answered, putting her phone on silent. "It's been going off like crazy today"

"Why?"

"I have no idea. Today is our family day, so I'm not doing anything pertaining to work; it's just about you, and our baby today" she smiled, leaning over and giving him a kiss. Isabella looked at them with a puzzled look. "Why do you guys keep kissing?" she asked, disgusted.

Brooke looked at Lucas, and they both smiled at each other. "Well sweetie, your daddy and I have something to tell you" Brooke said.

"Oh!" Bella said, covering her hand over her mouth. Her eyes got wide with excitement. She started bouncing in her seat. "Bella?" Lucas smiled.

"You and Mama are dating!" she exclaimed.

Brooke laughed, "And how do you know that, little missy?"

"Because, you said that you kiss when you're dating" Bella said, remembering what her mama had told her. Brooke and Lucas looked at each other and smiled. "Well Isabella, you're right. Your daddy and I are dating again" Brooke confirmed.

"Yes!" she shrieked, smile on her face.

"So you're happy about this?" Brooke asked. Her first priority was her daughter, and she wanted to make sure she was ok with this.

"Ah huh" she answered.

"Good" Brooke smiled, looking at Lucas. This is what she wanted, her family together. She had wanted this for five years, since Isabella was born.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

They were in the car, on the way back from lunch, when Brooke's phone vibrated again. "I swear—"Brooke said, reaching for her phone. She looked at the screen, "Oh no!"

"What?" Lucas asked.

"I've had seven missed calls from Millie" she answered, dialing her back. "Millie"

"Brooke, I've been trying to get ahold of you for a few hours" Millie said, on the other line.

"I know, I'm sorry. I have been with Lucas and Bella all day. What's wrong?"

"You have to come into the store, there's an emergency meeting"

"What? Emergency meeting. What's wrong?"

"I've had strict orders not to tell you until you get here" Millie explained. "Strict orders? Millie who told you this?" Brooke asked.

"I'm not allowed to tell you"

Brooke felt her frustration level rise. Why couldn't Millie tell her? And what was wrong with the company? "Fine Millie, what times the meeting at?" Brooke asked.

"Four o'clock"

"Alright, I'll be there" Brooke said, then hung up the phone. "Agh!" She gave out an exasperated sigh. "What wrong?" Lucas asked.

"That was Millie, and apparently she's been trying to call me all day because this emergency meeting with the company came up" Brooke explained, "And she's was told under strict orders, not to tell me anything until I get there!"

"That's weird"

"I know" she said. The car came to a stop at a red light, and Brooke turned to Lucas, "I'm sorry, I know today was supposed to be our family day, and now I have to go to this meeting" she apologized.

"Brooke, don't worry about it. It's hard to have a family day when—"he tilted his head back, gesturing towards Isabella, "our baby is passed out from her sugar rush". Brooke turned and looked at their daughter, who was sound asleep in her car-seat.

"At least she isn't complaining about the seatbelt" Lucas commented. He and Brooke both laughed, thinking about what happened earlier in the day, and how persistent their daughter was.

"So do you have any idea what this meeting is about?" He asked.

"I don't have a clue" Brooke sighed.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Brooke opened the door of her store, and walked inside. Millie was standing behind the front desk, waiting for her. "Millie, what is this about?" Brooke asked, coming up to the desk.

"There's some bad news" Millie informed.

"What kind of bad news?" Brooke asked. Millie was about to start talking, when Victoria came from the back room. "Hello Brooke"

Brooke turned, shocked that her mother was in Tree Hill. She hadn't been back here since their fight a few months ago. They hadn't talked a lot since the fight; since Victoria was still upset with Brooke for bringing Lucas back into the picture. "Mo-Mother" Brooke gasped out.

"Brooke" Victoria greeted. Brooke turned back to Millie, and asked "Is this the bad news?"

"Well isn't that a lovely thing to say about your mother, seeing that you haven't seen me in three months" Victoria commented.

"I'm just surprised that you are here"

"It wasn't my choice"

"What do you mean it wasn't your choice? And why are we having an emergency meeting today?" Brooke asked.

"Brooke, enough with the questions. You're giving me a headache" Victoria said rudely. Brooke's jaw dropped at her mother's rude-ness, and she had a hurt expression on her face. "Well aren't—"she started say, when she was cut off by Victoria. "Look Brooke, the only reason why I'm here is because the Company is under some scrutiny right now; there has been some reports that are putting you and the company in the media"

"What reports?" Brooke asked concerned.

Victoria took a breath, and looked at her daughter. "The reports are about Isabella"

-Caught Between Two Love's-

"Well baby, it looks like it's just us till mama gets back" Lucas stated, taking a seat on the couch. Brooke had left two hours ago for the store, and Isabella had just gotten up from a nap. It was just the two of them, so Lucas and Bella were sitting on the couch. Isabella was coloring, while Lucas had sports on.

"Where'd mommy go?" Isabella asked.

"Your mom went to her store. She had an emergency meeting, I guess"

"Ok" she shrugged her shoulders and went back to coloring. It was quiet for a few minutes, Lucas watching TV, and Isabella busy coloring. After a few minutes, Bella looked up at Lucas, and noticed something on his arm. "Ah, Daddy?"

Lucas turned his attention to his daughter, "Yeah?"

"You have to give mommy your markers" she said seriously. Lucas looked at her utterly confused, "What?" he asked.

"You have to give mommy your markers" she said again, pointing to his arm. "Mama said we're not 'lowed to draw on ourselves. And if we did; we have to give her all our markers and stuff"

Lucas looked down, and saw that is was the arm his tattoo was on. He laughed, and said "Bella, it's not from markers"

"Was is it?" she asked.

"It's a tattoo"

"Like the kind at the fair?" she questioned.

"Yeah, but this one doesn't wash off"

"Can I get one?" she asked. "No" Lucas answered quickly. He was never _ever_ going to allow his baby girl to get a tattoo. In fact, he didn't even want to think of her growing up; he liked her being a little girl, young and innocent.

"Why not?" she pouted.

"Because—"he was trying to come up with something, "They had to use a needle to get it on"

Isabella eyes got wide with fear, "Like at the doctors?" she asked. Lucas nodded his head yes. "I'm never getting one" she declared.

"Good" he smiled, thinking the subject was closed. Then she asked, "When'd you get it, daddy?"

"You know, I actually got this when I first started dating your mommy" he told. Isabella looked at him, surprised. "You dated before?" she asked.

Lucas smirked, "Yeah, we dated before you were born"

"Why did you and mommy stop?" she asked, confused.

Lucas took a deep breath, trying to think about how to explain that to his five year old. "Well…your Mama and I stopped because we had some adult things to work out. But we fixed them, and we're dating now"

"Ok" she said. Lucas was happy she was satisfied with his answer, because he wasn't going to go into details.

"Are you and mama gonna get married?" Bella asked, out of the blue.

"What makes you think that?" he questioned, though the thought had crossed his mind several times. He had hoped that with them dating, it was a step towards marriage. He would love nothing better than to marry Brooke, and raise their daughter together. It was his dream.

"Well" Isabella began, "Because you and Mama are dating, and kissing. Mom said that you date 'fore your married. That means that you guys are gonna get married"

Lucas smiled at her logic. "Well baby girl, you make a point; but mommy and I are just dating right now"

"But will you get married one day?" she asked. She liked her daddy and mama together, it was like Barbie and Ken; they had to be together.

"Maybe…one day" he answered, hoping it would come true.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Brooke, Victoria, and Millie we're in the back conference room. They had been in there for a few hours, talking about the newest revelation of Brooke and the company. It seemed that a magazine had found out about Isabella, and did some research; finding out that Brooke had a secret daughter.

"The only way I see it, is that we tell them about Isabella" Victoria offered.

"Mom, I don't I want the media to know about her. She's only five" Brooke protested. She wasn't sure if she was ready for the media and world to know about her daughter. She had kept her out of her public life when she did anything for the company. Only a few people knew about Bella, and Brooke's situation.

"Brooke, we don't have a choice"

"Of course we have a choice" Brooke stated.

"No we don't Brooke, a scandal like this could ruin the company. It's best that we just come clean with the circumstances" she reasoned. Brooke was shaking her head, when Victoria added, "This might even be good. We can turn this into a profitable thing for the company"

"Do not turn my daughter into a marketing ploy" Brooke warned, staring at her with a firm look.

"I'm not". She looked down at the table, looking through the paperwork. "The next B. Davis magazine is coming out in two weeks. We'll change the cover to you and Isabella, and do a full page spread on you; the challenges you went through raising a daughter, and building a successful company. We can also introduce Isabella"

"Mom—"Brooke started to objected.

"No, this is how it's going to go" Victoria stated. Brooke leaned back in her chair. She was frustrated and uneasy with this situation. She didn't like the idea of her five year old daughter being in the spotlight, though she knew that it had to be done. But she wanted to talk with Lucas before any decision was made. "Let me talk with Lucas first" she said.

"Why?"

"Because he is Bella's dad" She stated in a duh tone.

"You don't need to involve him Brooke, you've been her parent for the last five years. This is the decision of the company's best interest" Victoria said coldly. She wasn't going to let Lucas Scott destroy the company she and Brooke had built.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

"And they lived happily ever after" Lucas said, finishing the story. He was sitting on his bed, with Isabella on his lap. It was late, so he was reading her a bedtime story. He closed the book, and looked down to his daughter. He smiled, seeing that she was sound asleep in his arms.

Lucas loved being a father, especially times like these when she was in his arms. Even though he had only been in her life for four months, he felt like he'd been her dad for a lot longer than that. He couldn't get enough of fatherhood; He enjoyed every aspect of it, and loved his daughter. He didn't understand how Dan could reject him, and not be a parent. But even through that, Lucas knew one thing; he would always be a father to his daughter.

He sat there, cuddling with Bella for a few minutes. He had his eyes closed, beginning to become tired himself when he heard Brooke's voice. "Hey" he smiled, seeing her in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Hey babe" she greeted, walking into the room. "I see she crashed on you" she laughed, looking at her daughter.

"Yeah" he said, looking at Bella. Then he looked up to Brooke, "So how was the meeting?"

"Yeah, we need to talk"

Lucas could tell in her face, that something was wrong. He carefully moved Bella onto the bed without waking her. He pulled the blanket up, and walked with Brooke out of the room. They went into the living room and sat down on the couch. "What happened?" he asked.

"My mother's in town"

"Oh!" he cringed. He knew how much Brooke disliked Victoria, and how tense she got when she was around her. "That's not the worst part" Brooke said. Then she went on explaining the situation; telling him everything. "What are we going to do, Lucas?"

"I don't know" he sighed. He looked over to Brooke, and could see that she was really upset about this. "Baby, come here" he whispered, slipping his arm around her; all he wanted to do was comfort her.

They leaned back into the couch, and Brooke wrapped her arm around his waist. They both smiled, enjoying the moment of being wrapped around each other.

 **The media learning about Isabella. Wonder how that will work out? REVIEW!**


	12. A life in the spotlight

**Thank you to all the reviews who sent me birthday wishes. I had an amazing birthday, by the way!**

 **FYI- In this fanfic, Alex Dupre isn't a model for Clothes over Bros., but she's still a model and actress.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis.**

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Brooke opened her eyes, awakened by the alarm. She reached her hand over to her phone, and shut off the alarm. "What time is it?" She heard Lucas asked. She looked at the time "Seven o'clock" she read, then rolled on the bed, over to him; she snuggled up to his bare chest, wrapping her arm around his waist. "Good morning" she smiled, looking to his face.

"Morning" he greeted, giving her a kiss.

"Mm, I like that" Brooke whispered. Lucas cocked his eyebrow and grinned; then kissing her again. Brooke kissed him back, and they laid there making-out. "Lucas, we can't" she stated, as he started kissing her neck; knowing where he was going with it. "We have a five year old in the other room, and I have to be at the store"

"Our daughter is sleeping" he reasoned, moving on top on her, "And you don't have to be at the store until ten"

Brooke bit her lip, contemplating. She looked in his eyes, and knew she couldn't say no. Her lips hit against his, giving in. They were kissing each other for a few moments, enjoying their one on one time together when they heard the door open! "Mommy" a little voice said. "OH MY GOD!" Brooke exclaimed, horrified. Lucas quickly rolled off her, and she covered herself with the blanket. Fortunately, the blanket was over them both, so nothing was visible. "Yes Isabella" Brooke said, trying to sound as normal as possible; to the five year old who was now at her side of the bed.

"Morning Mama" she smiled.

"Good morning baby" Brooke smiled back, her face starting to turn a deep shade of red.

"I'm hungry" she whined, seemingly unaware of the adults doings.

"Oh ok. Why don't you go to the kitchen, and I'll be there in a minute"

"Ok mama" she agreed, turning around. When Isabella left the room, Brooke covered her face with her hands. "We scarred our baby" she gasped. Lucas laughed, "Bella's fine. She didn't even know what was going on"

"She might have!" Brooke argued, getting up from the bed. She went over to the dresser, and opened the drawers.

"So I take it we're done" Lucas whined, wanting her.

"What do you think" she answered, walking off to the bathroom.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Mom, you took forever" Isabella stated dramatically, when Brooke finally came into the kitchen. "You need to get ready faster"

"And you need to knock before you enter my room" Brooke countered.

"Why? You come in my room without knocking" she questioned. Brooke raised her eyebrows to her daughter. It amazed her how much her five year old could act like a teenager. "That's because I'm the mom" Brooke answered, leaning against the counter, facing her daughter "So what do you want for breakfast?"

"Oh" she pouted, "I want daddy to make it"

Brooke playfully scowled at her daughter, as Lucas came into the kitchen. "Well then good thing your dad's right here"

"For what?" Lucas asked.

"Your daughter wants you to make breakfast"

"Oh" he smiled cockily, knowing that Isabella hated Brooke's cooking and liked his. "Don't flatter yourself" Brooke said, walking over to the coffee maker. As she was putting the grounds in machine, she heard her daughter asked, "Mama?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Am I getting the pictures today?" Isabella asked excitedly. Brooke and Lucas had decided to go through with Victoria's plan; and tell the media about Bella. They didn't want to hide it and risk the company coming under fire. So with going through with the plan, the company had sent a photographer to shoot some pictures of Brooke and Isabella for the magazine.

"Yes Bella, we're taking the pictures today" Brooke answered. "Yeah!" she shrieked.

"Baby, it's just some photos"

"I know mama" she said in a duh tone, "But I get my hair done, and my pictures taken"

"Likes being in the spotlight; wonder where she gets that from" Lucas chuckled. Brooke narrowed her eyes at him. "So who's going to be at the shoot today?" He asked, while pouring batter onto the pan.

"Just Millie and Peyton are going to be there, unless my Mother shows up" she said, distaste in her voice, "Ugh! I don't want to see her again; that meeting was enough"

"Your mother's still in Tree Hill?"

"Yeah"

"Victoria's been here for over a week, and you've only seen her once"

"When was the last time you saw Dan?" She retaliated, with a raised eyebrow. "Oh" he cringed, "touché"

"Ah huh" she smiled with victory, "So what are you doing today?"

"I have to finish up the script, and then I'm meeting up with Julian; so we can send the script to the studio, for a green light" he answered, then he put the pancakes on the plate, putting them on the counter in front of Bella. "So hopefully we can start casting next week"

"Oh, casting" Brooke smiled with interest, "do you have anyone in mind for me?"

"Yeah actually, we were looking into actresses last week, and we thought that Alex Dupre would be good for the role of Brooke Davis"

"Alex Dupre? The model?" she questioned. Lucas nodded his head, "Yeah, she's done some roles in a few movies; Julian and I think she would be a great choice"

"Okay" she said, taking a bite of breakfast. _"Alex Dupre" she thought._

-Caught Between Two Love's-

"Well this is pretty awesome!" Peyton said to Brooke; she had just come up to the roof of store, and was amazed by all the production and equipment. The photographer had decided that the roof was the best place for the shoot, and the crew was setting up the backdrop.

"Yeah" Brooke laughed, "And I think Bella's having the time of her life". They looked over and saw Isabella in the make-up chair, getting her hair done for the shoot.

"Well don't you look absolutely gorgeous" Peyton complimented. Brooke had gotten her hair and make-up done, and was dressed up in one of her best outfits. "Thanks P. Sawyer" she smiled.

"So you think you're ready for the world to know about Izzy?"

"Honestly, I don't even want to think about it" she answered. Brooke still didn't know if she and Lucas had made the right decision, telling the media about Bella. But after a long conversation, they had come to the same agreement.

"Brooke, it's going to be fine" Peyton reassured, as Bella came running over to them. "Mama" she shrieked, "Look at my hair" then she started twirling around.

"You look beautiful baby" Brooke commented.

"Very stylish Izzy" Peyton remarked. Bella looked up and realized her Aunt Peyton was there. "Aunt Peyton" Bella exclaimed.

"Hey kid"

"I haven't seen you forever" Bella pouted.

"Izzy" Peyton chuckled, "I've only been gone for two days"

"But you're never home" she stated, folding her arms.

"I know but I've been with Jake and Jenny" Peyton explained, while Bella gave a petulant look. "How about I make it up to you" Peyton bribed.

"How?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could watch a movie tonight"

"A movie night. Yay!" Isabella squealed. She looked it up to her mama, "Mama, we're gonna watch a movie tonight"

"I heard" she said, then her attention was directed to the photographer "Ms. Davis. We're ready for you and Isabella" He informed. Brooke looked down at her daughter again, "Ready for your debut?"

"Ah huh" Bella nodded her head, excited.

"Then let's go, Baby Davis" Brooke laughed, taking her daughters hand; walking over to the backdrop.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

After both mother and daughter had their pictures taken together, they took some solo pictures of Bella. "Alright, and big smile" the photographer said. Isabella smiled into the camera, dancing around the backdrop. Brooke was standing by the camera, happily smiling as she watched her daughter. "Brooke" she heard a voice call from behind her. She turned and saw Millie coming up to her.

"Yes Millicent?"

"I need you to sign these papers today" she gave her a portfolio, "And here is the article for the magazine" Millie said, handing a piece of paper to Brooke, "It was e-mailed to me this morning. It's the Q & A you did with the editor"

"I haven't talked to the editor" Brooke objected confused, taking the paper; starting reading it. By the time she finished it, she was stewing mad. "Millie, I didn't say any of this. Who sent this to you?" she demanded.

"Victoria" Millie answered cringing. Brooke clenched her fists, wanting to scream. Of course her mother did this! She handed the portfolio back to Millie, but kept the article in her hand. Then without a word, she left her, walking over to Peyton. "Hey, can you watch her?" she asked, motioning towards Bella.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Peyton asked, noticing how angry she was.

"I have to go deal with my Mother"

"Oh' ok, go. I'll watch her" she knew all the history with Brooke and Victoria, and even she personally didn't like her.

"Thanks Peyton" she said.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Brooke stormed through the hotel's hallway, going to her Mother's room. When she got to the room, she angrily knocked on the door. "Brooke?" Victoria said, when she opened the door.

"Victoria"

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I have something I need to discuss with you"

"Fine, come in" Victoria left the door, and went over to the desk. She sat down in the chair, and looked at Brooke. "Yes?"

"This?" Brooke stated, holding up the article that Millie gave her. Victoria looked at the paper, "I don't see a problem" she answered, nonchalantly.

"You don't see a problem" Brooke said through gritted teeth, "I didn't write this!"

"I know, I did"

"I knew that you wrote the questions and answers, but why didn't you let me answer them"

"I didn't write the questions. Miguel, the magazine editor; came up with them, I wrote the answers. I'm your mother, I knew what you were going to say"

"Really? I would have said—"Brooke looked at the paper, " _Isabella's father left me while I was pregnant. I was abandoned and alone, trying to figure out what to do. I went to my mother Victoria, and she helped me out. When I had Isabella, I decided that I wanted to be a better person for her. So I started the company, and persevered through the struggles of being a single mom..."_ Brooke looked up to Victoria, raised eyebrow.

"Well you would have said something like that" Victoria defended. "No" she scoffed, "I wouldn't said this!" Brooke threw the paper onto the desk. Victoria sighed, "Please Brooke, stop with the dramatics. I wrote that for the sake of the company"

"The sake of the company?"

"Imagine what the media would say if we wrote that _you_ left Isabella's father, and better yet; you left without telling him. The media would chew that up, and wonder what kind of person you were" she explained, "We have to give you the image 'Independent woman, Independent Mother'"

"Mom, this isn't fair to Lucas. I'm not going through with this"

"Brooke, I already set up interviews, and the public knows that we're about to make a statement"

"I don't care. We're not" Brooke said, anger in her voice. She couldn't believe her mother. She didn't want to make Lucas look like a deadbeat father, it would crush him.

"We are going through with the article" Victoria stated, in an intimidating tone, "You and Isabella are flying to New York on Sunday, and we are having the press release bright and early Monday morning!"

-Caught Between Two Love's-

"Aunt Peyton, when are we gonna start the movie?" Bella asked. She, Peyton, and Brooke were in the kitchen. "All I have to do is pop the popcorn and then we can start" Peyton explained, grabbing the box from the cabinet.

"Bella, why don't you go and put your pajamas on" Brooke said, wanting to have a minute alone with her best friend. "Ok" Bella hopped of the chair, and ran up the stairs.

"So um..what happened with your mom today?" Peyton asked, she could tell that Brooke hadn't been herself since she left to talk with Victoria.

"Victoria decided that she would have it her way with the media; and wrote this" she handed the article to Peyton. Peyton read it, and looked to her, shocked. "Brooke, this isn't true"

"I know it isn't. That's why I went to her hotel"

"How'd that go?" she asked. Brooke sighed, "Terrible. She said that we have to go through with the article"

"Really?"

"Yeah. She said that is protecting the company, and we'd be basically ruin the image of Clothes over Bros. if we told them the truth" Brooke explained, rubbing her hands over her face. She was stressed out and felt angry about the article. "I just don't know what to do, Peyton?"

"Brooke you can stop this; you own the company, and can tell them the truth. I mean, it isn't right to say this about Lucas"

"I know it isn't right, but this is protecting the company. I have to think about the company's future, Bella's future, but I also have to think about my future with Lucas. I don't want to hurt him" she said.

"You have to make a decision, Brooke" Peyton said, just then Isabella came running down the stairs "I'm ready" she said, and both adults watched as she jumped on the couch, waiting for them. "Let's watch the movie, and you can take your mind off this" Peyton offered, going over to the couch.

"Ok" she agreed, but knew that she wouldn't be able to focus on the movie. Her mind felt so conflicted about what to do, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. She wanted to protect her company but at the same time, wanted to tell the truth about Lucas. What would she do?

 **Will Brooke lie and protect the company? Or will she exploit the truth to the world? REVIEW!**


	13. All that glitters is not Gold

**Hey! Thank you guys for the reviews, I am so grateful. I apologize, I know my last chapter wasn't that great, but I busy and rushed to write it. I hope to make it up in this chapter.**

 **This chapter holds an important key in this story, and I'll I can say is this; There is some** **DRAMA** **coming up, and things are about to change! To my reviewers who have been wondering about Brulian, your question will be answered very** ** _soon_** **!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis.**

 _"_ _BROOKE DAVIS!" "BROOKE!" "IS THAT YOUR DAUGHTER?" "BROOKE DAVIS!"_

Brooke ignored the paparazzi and the flashes of the cameras; continuing to walk through the New York airport. She was carrying Isabella in her arms, and Millie was at her side. Brooke hated the paparazzi, it was the worst part of her job; it was part of the reason why she moved back to Tree Hill.

She held tight to Bella, as they made there was out of the airport. They were quickly ushered to a car, by one of their security guard's. Brooke put her daughter in first, then got in herself; as Millie got in from the other side. When the door was finally shut, Brooke breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mommy, why are there so many of them?" Bella asked, looking back at the paparazzi as the car drove off.

"Baby, it's the paparazzi. There's always a lot of them" she explained. Isabella hadn't been around the paparazzi, since the media hadn't known about her; until now. Brooke had done her best to prepare her for this trip, explaining everything that they were going to do, and what she expected of her.

"Why are they taking pictures?"

"Because that's what they do"

"Oh, ok" Bella said. She turned around in her seat, just as Millie clicked her phone, "I just got an e-mail from Victoria" she informed, "She's meeting us at your hotel suite tonight"

"Why?" Brooke asked.

"She has the itinerary for tomorrow, and wants to go over the company statement"

"Ugh!" Brooke sighed, leaning her head back into the seat. She was not looking forward to seeing Victoria; but it was evitable since Victoria was going to be with them all day tomorrow. "What time is she coming?"

"She didn't say in the e-mail, it just says tonight"

"Great!" she smiled sarcastically.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Brooke quickly closed the door to the bedroom that was in her hotel suite. She had just put Isabella to bed for the night. She could tell that Bella was tired and worn out from all the travel and excitement, plus she wanted her to get a good night's sleep, because she didn't want to deal with a cranky kid; on top of everything else that was going on tomorrow.

Just as she was walking through the suite, she heard a knock at the door. _"Great Victoria" she thought_ , heading to the door. When she opened the door, she gave a sigh of relief, it was just Millie. "Thank goodness it's you, I thought it was—"

"Me" Victoria stated, coming up to the door. "Of course not" she lied, stepping aside, allowing her mother and Millie to come into the room. She shut the door, and walked over to the couch; where Victoria and Millie had just sat down.

"Where's Isabella?" Victoria asked, looking around the room. "I put her to bed already" Brooke answered, sitting down.

"Why?"

"Because she was tired, and tomorrow's going to be a long day for her" Brooke answered, then added "And I'm a good mom, thinking about her well-being; something you never did for me"

"Oh, well I wanted to see her. I haven't in a while, since you didn't let me when I was back in Tree Hill" Victoria said, ignoring her comment. You could almost recognize some sadness in her voice. Victoria truly loved her granddaughter, and liked spending time with her; she just didn't like Isabella's father.

"Well you'll see her all day tomorrow"

"Speaking of tomorrow" Victoria opened the folder that she had carried in; revealing a pile of papers. She grabbed a stack of papers, and handed them over to Brooke "There is the statement, the one you're addressing to the media at company; that's the first thing we're going to do tomorrow morning."

"What time is that at?"

"Nine o'clock"

"Ok" Brooke sighed, she really didn't want to go through with this; but knew she had too. "What's after that?"

"You have a few interviews. Most of them are by yourself, but one of them is with Isabella" she informed. Brooke shot her head up from the paper, glaring at her. "Mom, I told you that I didn't want Bella to be in any of the interviews."

"Brooke, its one interview" Victoria reasoned, rolling her eyes.

"No" she said firmly, "You're lucky she even came with me!"

"Fine, I'll call their P.R in the morning; telling them that she's out of the interview. But Isabella will have to be in pictures with you, at the statement release"

"Just at the release" Brooke agreed, then looked down to the papers in her lap. "What's with these other papers?"

"Those are your answers for the interview questions"

"Mom" Brooke said, almost laughing, "I can come up with my own answers!"

"Brooke, we have to be on the same page with the answers. That why I wrote them, so they coincide with the article"

Brooke looked at her, "Alright" she mumbled, going along with her mother's plan; once again. She looked through the papers; reading the answers. "I'm not saying this one!" she tossed a piece of paper onto the table. "We agreed to keep Lucas's name out of this"

"We have to tell them something about her father" Victoria stated. Brooke shook her head, "We will, but we leave Lucas out of it."

"Fine" Victoria grabbed the discarded paper, "I'll rewrite this one"

"And any other ones that have Lucas in them" Brooke said firmly. She wanted to leave Lucas out of this, as much as possible. It wouldn't be fair to drag him into this mess. Though she already knew that tomorrow was going to have some serious repercussions for her.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

"Mama, you look so pretty" Isabella exclaimed. She was sitting on the bed, dressed in an outfit her mama had picked out for her, watching her as she put lipstick on. Brooke smiled, "Thanks baby". Brooke took one last look in the mirror, then turned to her daughter. "You looked pretty too".

"Not as pretty as you. You look like a princess"

Brooke chuckled, her daughter's mind was always on princesses and girly things. She was so much like her at this age.

"Is dad your prince charming?" Isabella asked.

"Yeah, he kind of this" she smiled.

"I miss daddy"

"I know, I do too" Brooke agreed. She wished Lucas was with her right now, supporting her on this anxious day. But after much discussion, they had decided that it would be best for him to stay back in Tree Hill. Even though they weren't releasing his name, if the media saw him with her; there would be speculation that he was Isabella's dad. And if they found out, Dan's name and history might surface; that would ruin the company.

"But you know what? Today is going to be a fun day!" Brooke said, trying to cheer her daughter up.

"But you said it was gonna be busy" she questioned, puzzled.

"It is going to be busy today, but I was thinking that after all the interviews and stuff, and if you're good; we can go and get ice cream" Brooke bribed, eyes wide.

"Really?"

"Ah huh, but only if a certain five year old can be good"

"I'll be good" Isabella promised, nodding her head. "Ok, but I'm going to hold you to it" Brooke laughed, lifting Bella off the bed. The two of them walked out of bedroom, just as Millie was coming in the suite. "Oh, good. You're both ready. Victoria is waiting in the hallway" she informed.

"Victoria's here" Bella shrieked, running out into the hotel hallway. "Isabella Karen" Brooke scolded, following her daughter. "You can't run off like that, there could be bad people out here"

"It's only Victoria out here, mama" she pouted. "Exactly, bad people" Brooke remarked. Victoria ignored her remarked, and looked down to her granddaughter. "Hello Isabella"

"Victoria, I haven't seen you in a long time"

"That's becau—"Victoria started to answer, but was cut off by Brooke "Because your grandma has been busy here in New York"

"Brooke!" Victoria inhaled sharply, "I'm too young to be known as a grandma"

"What do you think the press is going to call you" she retorted. She took Bella's hand, and they started making their way towards the elevator.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

The limo was just about to Clothes over Bros. Victoria had been hounding Isabella since they got into the limo. "No running when we get inside"

"Ok" Bella nodded.

"And remember to smile when we get out of the limo"

"Mother, enough" Brooke voiced, "I already went over everything with her. She's five years old. Leave her alone"

"Well I'm just trying to prepare her"

"She's fine" Brooke said. She looked out the window, and could see a lot of paparazzi around Clothes over Bros. A few moments later they were in front of it. Brooke took a deep breath, preparing herself for the day. She turned to Isabella, "You ready baby Davis?"

"Yep"

"Ok" she gave a weak smile, as one of the security guards opened the door. Brooke got out of the limo, and helped Bella out. She held onto her daughter's hand as they were making their way up to the door, amidst flashes of the cameras, and the different media outlets shouting questions. Isabella clung to her, a little scared by all the commotion.

"It ok, Bella" she reassured, as they were walking through the doors

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Brooke was walking into the large room, with Victoria, Bella, and Millie right behind her. She was about to give the statement to the media. So she continued walking to the podium, when the other three stopped short of it; standing to the side of the wall.

"Hello everyone, and thank you for coming" Brooke spoke into the microphone. "As you all know, there has been a lot of speculation about whether I have a daughter, and even on a crazier spectrum; that I gave up a daughter for adoption. So I am here to set the record straight." Brooke paused, looking directly at Bella. "I do have a daughter…her name is Isabella, and she is the light of my world. I had her when I when I was a teenager. And when I held her in my arms, I decided that I wanted to be a better person for her. So I started this company, and persevered through the struggles of being a single mom. Clothes over Bros. wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my beautiful daughter. Come up here sweetie" Brooke waved Isabella over.

"Walk!" Victoria said quietly, so only she would hear. So Isabella calmly walked over to her mama.

Brooke picked her up and held her in her arms; continuing, "I have never not claimed to be a mother, and I did what I did because it's what I thought was best for my daughters protection. My heart is still dedicated to this company, and the people who help make it great. Thank you" she ended, walking away from the podium. There was an array of camera flashes, as she made her way over to Victoria and Millie.

They were quickly ushered out of the room, going into a conference room. They had decided not to do questions here, because of all the interviews they had that day.

"Well done Brooke" Victoria complimented.

"Thanks" Brooke faked smiled.

"Alright, we need to get going" she stated, looking at her watch.

"We just got here" Brooke objected.

"We're on a tight schedule today. The next interview is the biggest one you're having today. We can't be late. Did you memorize the answers I gave you?"

"Yes mom" she sighed.

"OK, then" Victoria snapped her fingers, "Off we go"

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Brooke was in her first, and biggest interview. She had been talking with the lady for a few minutes, while Victoria, Bella and Millie were watching her from the backstage. As the interview continued on, Victoria was starting to become worried. The questions didn't match up with her article, and Brooke wasn't following any of the answers she had written. She was keeping her cool for a while, but when one question was asked, she became alarmed.

"So Isabella's father isn't mentioned in this article. Is he in the picture? Are you married?" The lady asked. Victoria gave a confused face, and looked at Millie. "What does she mean he isn't in the article?" she whispered harshly. Millie shrugged her shoulders, having no idea.

"Go find me the magazine" she ordered.

"I have to watch Isabella" Millie gesturing towards Bella. Victoria narrowed her eyes at her, "I can watch my granddaughter" she said venomously, "Now GO!"

Millie cringed and quickly left, as Victoria turned to watch her daughter's answer. "No, I'm not married, but someday I do hope to be." Brooke answered, "I had my daughter when I was still in high school, and I had some difficult times; like anybody has. But when I had her, I wanted to be a better person for her. I wanted to be someone, she was proud of. That's why I started the company"

"As for her father?" the lady pried.

Brooke took a deep breath, thinking about how to answer that. "I honestly don't think that question needs an answer. This is my job, and my public life. Whether I'm with her dad, or I'm on my own; as long as the company is progressing in this industry, and Clothes over Bros. is still the number one clothing brand out there; I don't think that I need to answer that"

"You make a valid point there" the lady smiled.

"But I can tell you this, I am a single mom"

Victoria was staring at her daughter, arms folded across her chest. This was nothing like the answers they had talked about, what was happening? Just then, Millie came up to her, magazine in her hand. She viciously snatched the magazine, and hurried to the page. Her eyes were in disbelief as she read the article. It wasn't what she wrote, it was completely different.

"This isn't the article I gave you! Who wrote this?" she demanded.

"I don't know"

"Well you're no help" she retorted.

She knew that it had to be her daughter who changed it. She looked at Brooke, seething with anger.

"So why didn't you tell the public that you had a daughter?" the lady asked, continuing on with the interview.

"Do you have children?" Brooke asked, turning around the question to her. The lady nodded, "Yes, three of them"

"Would you want their faces plastered on magazine covers?"

"No, I wouldn't"

"Exactly" Brooke reasoned, "Isabella is five, almost six years old. She's too young to have the media and paparazzi always hounding her. I wanted to give her a normal, happy childhood. And in the future, if she chooses to have a career that involves all this" Brooke gestured her hands around the studio, "I will support her, but for right now; this is my job, it should have nothing to do with my daughter."

The lady smiled at her, "You know Ms. Davis, I commend you. You worked hard to build one of the best fashion industries, and you were a single mom while doing it. I understand why you didn't want to put your daughter in the spotlight. You seem like you are a really great mom"

"Thank you" Brooke blushed.

When the interview was done, Brooke walked down the steps, going to the backstage; where she was met with a seething Victoria. "Brooke, what is this?" she held up the magazine.

"It the magazine" Brooke answered nonchalantly. Victoria narrowed her eyes at her, "This isn't the article I wrote!"

"I may have made some changes" she informed, walking over to Isabella. And truth be told, Brooke had taken Peyton's advice, and wrote a new article; secretly giving it to the editor. She didn't write anything about Lucas, and mainly focused on the company and how her daughter changed her. It wasn't anyone's business about her personal life. Brooke bent down in front of her daughter, "Hi sweetie" she smiled, while Victoria continued on. "Brooke, you didn't discuss any of these changes with me"

Brooke picked up Bella, and looked at her mother, smirk on her face. "I didn't have too. Like you always say mother; I own this company, you only work for it" Then she turned around, and walked away triumphantly, carrying her daughter in her arms. Leaving Victoria standing there, looking like a child who was just chastised.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

"One mint chocolate chip, and one rainbow vanilla, please" Brooke said, placing an order. She had kept her promise to Bella, and had taken her to an ice cream shop.

The guy handed her both cones. "Thank you" Brooke smiled, taking them. She handed the one to Bella. "Both hands" she warned, leading them over to a table. Isabella took a seat, and Brooke took the one opposite from her. It was just her and Isabella at the shop; no Victoria, no Millie and no paparazzi.

"It's been a busy day, huh?" Brooke asked.

Isabella nodded her head, "Very busy"

Brooke smirked, taking a bite from her cone. There was a few moments of quietness, until Bella spoke up "Mama"

"Yeah baby?"

"Why did Victoria leave?" she asked.

Brooke didn't answer her right away, trying to figure out the best way to explain it to her. Victoria had left them, right after she had given the huge interview. Victoria was mad at her for changing the article and answers, but Brooke didn't care; she did was she had to do. "Um, Victoria had something she had to go do" she lied.

"Will I see her before we leave?"

Brooke shook her head, "No, I'm sorry baby"

"It's ok, mommy" Bella assured. Brooke smiled, thinking how wonderful her daughter was. "You're such an amazing kid"

"I know" she smiled. Brooke raised her eyebrows, "and into herself too" she commented as Bella giggled.

"So do you miss living here?" Brooke asked.

"No" Bella answered, shaking her head, "I like our home"

"You like Tree Hill better?"

"Yeah. Because daddy's there"

"You really miss your dad, don't you?"

"Ah huh, and Jamie too" Bella replied, taking another bite of her cone, although half of it was ending up on her face.

"I like Tree Hill better too." Brooke smiled, thinking about home. She couldn't wait to leave the city, and return home to her life…and Lucas.

 **Bet you didn't see that interview coming! REVIEW!**


	14. Running to stand still

**Wow, I'm still amazed by how many reviews I've received. I am so grateful.**

 **I really took a step back, and tried to figure out where I wanted this story to go. I have so many ideas, and I was trying to decide if I was going to add Samantha Walker or not. But, I can say that I've made up my mind, and have a clear vision of where this story is headed. I've also decided the endgame for Brooke.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis.**

"Isabella, are you coming?" Brooke called up the stairs.

"I'm coming mama" Isabella yelled. Brooke watched as she came running down the steps. She smiled, seeing what her daughter was wearing. Bella was going through a phase where she insisted on picking out her own clothes. Right now, she was wearing a pink skirt, with jeans underneath; and a rainbow colored shirt; but not without a red cape, Haley had made her. None of it matching, of course. So Brooke looked at her, with a smirk. "Are you sure you want to wear that cape? I'm stopping to get coffee before I drop you off at Haley's" she asked.

"Yes mom" Bella nodded her head, "I want to wear it cause me and Jamie are gonna play superheroes" Then she started twirling around, "I picked out my clothes today!"

"I can tell" Brooke laughed, walking over to the counter; grabbing her purse, and keys. She turned back to her daughter. "You ready?"

"Yep"

"Ok, let's go" she went over and opened the door, guiding her daughter out.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Mom, it's taking forever" Bella complained as they stood in line. They had been in the coffee shop for over twenty minutes, and there was still five people ahead of them.

"I know baby, it's just a little longer and then you can get your smoothie. Okay?" Brooke assured, looking down at her daughter. She could tell that Bella was becoming impatient.

"Okay" she sighed, turning back around.

The door to the coffee shop opened, and Brooke could tell that someone got in line behind them. "Is the line always this bad?" she heard a familiar voice say. Brooke turned around, and saw Julian Baker standing behind her. "Oh, hey Julian"

He smiled, "Hi Brooke"

"Hi Julian" Isabella said. She had been around Julian several times now, so both she and Brooke had gotten to know him.

"Hey Bella" he greeted, then looked back up to Brooke. "This line is terrible" he commented.

"Yeah, we've been here for twenty minutes"

"Wow. Is this the best place to get coffee in this town?" He asked. Brooke nodded her head, "Well, the best place now. There used to be this place, Karen's Café; actually, it was in the same place as my store, I converted it when the café closed. Lucas's mom owned the café"

"Really?"

"Yeah, it had the best coffee, and food in Tree Hill. I worked there for a while back when I was in high school" she said. Julian smirked, and tried hard not to laugh. "And what's so funny?" she asked.

"I would have never had pictured you working in a café" he answered, laughing. Brooke narrowed her eyes at him in mock defense.

"But Mama, you can't cook" Bella commented. Brooke looked down at her daughter, "I can too cook" she defended.

"Na huh, only Dad and Aunt Peyton can"

"Yeah, just turn around there" Brooke turned Bella's head to face the counter: embarrassed by the fact she couldn't cook. Isabella started giggling, as Brooke looked back up to Julian. "So you and Lucas are at TRIC today?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, we're there with Adam. We are doing the final casting, so hopefully we can start shooting soon" he answered. The line moved, so they moved with it. "But you should come by today"

"Oh?" she asked, with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, we finally casted the actress for Brooke Davis" he smiled. Brooke's face lit up with excitement, she had been waiting impatiently to meet the girl who was playing her. "Who is it? Lucas hasn't told me anything"

"Well he told me that he wanted to keep it a surprise—"

"Who cares about surprises" Brooke interrupted, "I want to meet her!"

Julian lightly laughed at how impatient she was. He had grown too really like her over the past few months. He had read the novel a lot of times, and Brooke was more beautiful and strong than the words Lucas had written. "Then come down to TRIC today, she'll be there" he said.

"Yay!" she smiled. The cashier at the counter called her up, so Brooke quickly said, "I just have to drop her off at Haley's; then I'll be there"

"Great!" Julian smiled. Then Brooke turned, and went up to order.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Knock, Knock!" Brooke smiled, gently knocking on the door frame; to the room where Lucas was. The room was empty, with only Lucas sitting at his desk. He looked up in surprise, and got a big smile on his face when he saw his girl. "Hey babe" he said, as Brooke walked over to where he was.

"Hey" she greeted. Brooke gave him a kiss, then leaned against his desk.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just came by to see my man at work" she smiled innocently. "Ah huh" he raised his eyebrows, not buying it at all. "Ok, so maybe I came to see the girl who's playing me" she confessed.

"Brooke—"

"Please Luke, you haven't told me anything. I really want to meet her" she pleaded. She walked over and sat down on his lap; starting to kiss his neck. "If you make me happy today, I'll make you happy tonight" she whispered seductively in his ear.

"Well I can be persuaded" he moaned, pressing his lips against hers. Their kiss grew strong, as Lucas had his hand pressed against the back of her head. As he was kissing her neck, Brooke gently bite on the back on his ear; his special spot. Only she knew about his special spot, it was a secret she learned about him back when they were in high school. None of his other girlfriends had ever discovered that secret.

As he started to moan, she pulled away from him; a flirtatious smile on her face.

"Why do you tease me?" he murmured.

"I'll keep up my end of the bargain, when you keep up yours" Brooke explained, then lean forward and whispered provocatively in his ear, "That was just a preview; but if you make me really happy…I'll rock your world tonight"

Lucas got a dopey smile on his face. "Alright, I'll go introduce you to her".

"Yay!" she shrieked, getting off him, and standing up. They both walked out of the room together, and went into the main room of TRIC; where they were met with a room full of shirtless men.

"Mm" she smiled, looking at them.

Lucas was starting to feel some jealousy as he saw Brooke look at the men. He knew that she was just joking; but still, something inside him made him feel jealous. "Don't get any ideas" he warned.

"Oh, is someone getting jealous" Brooke laughed.

"No" he lied. They continued walking until Lucas stopped, "So, do you want to meet Brooke Davis?" he asked, when she looked at him.

"Yes" she gasped, overly excited. "I'm starting to get butterflies a little bit—"she looked away, and whispered, "Now I know how people must feel when they're meeting _me_ for the first time"

Lucas laughed, and motioned his hand towards someone on the other side on the room. Alex Dupre quickly walked to them, "Oh my god! You're Brooke Davis!" she exclaimed.

"You're—"Brooke was to stunned for words, "Alex Dupre"

"Hi!"

"Hi" Brooke shrieked, giving her a hug.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Jamie, Bella" Haley said, opening Jamie's door; checking on the kids. She walked into the room, and saw the two little kids running around the room. "I heard a lot of noise coming from in here"

Jamie stopped running around. "Hey mama"

"What are you guys up to—Oh Wow!" Haley gasped surprised, looking at her niece. Bella had red lipstick smeared all over her lips. "Isabella, did you get into my make up?" she asked, trying hard not to laugh.

"Ah huh" She nodded "Superwoman always wears lipstick"

"I see" Haley smirked, "So would two superheroes be interested in some lunch?"

"Yeah" The two little kids said together, running out of the room. Haley followed them, and they made their way into the kitchen. She went over to the sink, and had Isabella come over to her. "What Aunt Haley?" Bella asked.

"I think your mom would appreciate it, if you didn't go home with lipstick on" she answered, lifting Bella onto the counter.

"Aw man" Bella pouted.

"I know, aw man" Haley mimicked, making Bella crack a smile. As she was wiping the lipstick off, Nathan came through the door. "Hey Hales" he said coming over to her. He gave her a quick kiss, and then looked at his niece.

"Wow Izzy, you just need an ugly poncho and you'd look exactly like your Aunt Hales in high school" he teased.

"Ha ha" Haley fake laughed. Nathan went over, and opened the fridge. "How was slam ball practice, Daddy?" Jamie asked.

"It was okay, Jimmy Jam" he answered, pulling out a bottle of water. He leaned against the counter, and took a slip.

"What's slam ball?" Isabella asked.

"It's the coolest thing ever, Izzy" Jamie answered, "Its basketball but they have huge trampolines, and they jump on them. It's awesome!"

Isabella's eyes widened as she heard Jamie's answer; she loved basketball, just as much as Jamie. "Really?"

"Well I don't know if it's quite as exciting as that" Nathan laughed, "but it is pretty cool. Are you gonna come and watch your Uncle's first game next week?" he asked Bella.

"Ah huh" she nodded.

"We're all gonna go and support you, I'll tell Luke and Brooke about it" Haley smiled.

"Yahoo!" Jamie hollered. Both Nathan and Haley turned towards their son, and laughed.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"So when do you think we'll start filming?" Alex asked Lucas. They were standing, talking together at TRIC. They could see Brooke and Julian talking together across the room.

"Um— probably in a few weeks. We'll do the script reading on Monday" He answered, then turning his attention back on Brooke. He loved to just look at her; seeing her talking and laughing with Julian. She was such an amazing woman.

Alex caught on that Lucas was staring at Brooke, and she started to have some curiosity. "I didn't know that you and Brooke are married" she said, advertently trying to get her question answered.

"Oh, Brooke and I aren't married" he answered, "We're just dating"

"Interesting" she commented.

"Huh?" he asked, confused by her commented.

"Well what I mean is that I'm surprised that someone as beautiful and successful as Brooke, that she isn't married yet" Alex said quickly. Unfortunately for Lucas, he misread her motive; and was thinking about Brooke. "She is beautiful" he mumbled, looking at her.

"So I was wondering if you could do me a favor." Alex inquired.

"What's that?"

"You see, I really love how inspirational and powerful, Brooke is; and I want to portray her the best I can" she explained. Lucas nodded his head, and Alex continued. "And since you're dating her, and I wondering if you could help me out with that?"

"Well, I'm sure Brooke would love to—"he started to say, but was cut off by her. "NO" she said brashly. Lucas looked at her questioningly.

"I don't want to ask Brooke…because from my experience, everyone only sees the flaws in themselves, and don't see their true beauty. We are our own biggest critique. It's the people around us, family, friends, and the people we date who see how amazing we are. You date Brooke, so you know"

Again, Lucas missed where Alex was going with it. "Well you do make a point" he said, "Alright I'll help you"

"Great! Can you meet at my hotel tonight?"

"I can't tonight" he shook his head, "I have a date with Brooke tonight"

"Please Lucas. I want to be perfect by the time we start filming" Alex begged. Lucas looked at her. _"It is for the movie" he thought._ "Ok, I'll be over tonight" Lucas agreed.

"Yay!" Alex clapped her hands. Lucas gave her a look. "I'm just really excited for this role" she said quickly.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke carried two glasses of wine over to the couch. She handed one to Peyton, and took a seat beside her. Isabella was in bed already, and she was happy to have some time to talk with her best friend. "God, it seems like a long time since we did this" Brooke said.

"I know" Peyton agreed, taking a sip from her glass. "So how are things with the company?"

"Next question" she joked.

"Brooke"

Brooke took a sip of her wine. She hadn't spoken to her mother since New York, and personally didn't want too. Victoria was freezing her out, something she always did. But on the bright side, the company was doing great. After all the press releases and interviews; Clothes over Bros. was still the number one clothing line.

"The company doing great. After all those interviews I did, the media is finally leaving us alone"

"And your mom?"

"Still isn't talking to me" she answered, rolling her eye. Her mother was something else.

"Well she is that way; you did what you had to do for Izzy, and for Lucas. Victoria will just have to get over it" Peyton stated. She and Brooke laughed for a moment. "So I have some kind of big news" she said.

"Oh"

"Jake asked me again, if I would move in"

"Peyton that's great" Brooke said, and she truly was happy.

"Are you sure we shouldn't give it more time?"

"Peyton, you and Jake have been dating for what—three almost four months now" Brooke responded. "You're over at his house every day, and you're a practically a mom to Jenny. It's time"

"I think so too" Peyton smiled. It was quiet for a few moments, until she asked, "So I thought you had plans with Lucas tonight?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, "He canceled on me; said that he was going over to the hotel to help Alex with the script"

"Alex…as in Alex Dupre who's playing you?" Peyton asked with raised eyebrows. Brooke nodded her head, "He's just helping her with the movie" she defended.

"Are you sure?"

"Peyton, Lucas isn't that guy anymore. He wouldn't do that to me" Brooke argued. She had seen how much Lucas had changed in six years, he wasn't that guy anymore.

"Okay, I'm just saying" Peyton raised her hands, "Just be careful"

"I don't have to be, he's a good guy" She smiled. Thinking about Lucas made her smile. She loved dating him, and he was such a good dad to Bella. Brooke couldn't believe how much her life had changed in five years; and after being back in New York, she didn't miss it at all. She liked living in Tree Hill, and was happy her daughter could grow up around their family and friends. But the best part of it all, was that she, Lucas, and Bella; they were a family. And she couldn't wait to see what their future held!

 **Please Review! I'm so excited for what's coming up for this story…and I think you guys will be happy too!**


	15. Every Picture tells a Story

**Wow, already at chapter 15! Hope you all are ready for this chapter. Huge turn in this story from this point on…This chapter was kind of hard to write, I don't like writing about confrontation or fighting among my favorite characters.**

 **FYI- I'll also be adding some one-shots for this story on my tumblr page (Link in bio)!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis!**

Brooke looked at her phone. _8:34._ "Huh" she sighed. Lucas was supposed to be over at seven, and was now over an hour and half late. Though he did text her; to tell her that he was going to be late. Brooke placed her phone on the arm of the couch, and looked down to her daughter, who was asleep on her lap. Isabella had insisted on waiting up for her daddy; declaring that she wasn't tired. Brooke lightly laughed, thinking how Bella had fallen asleep almost an hour ago.

As she waited, a lot of thoughts were running through her head. She was beginning to become suspicious of Lucas. He had been at the hotel every night for the past week; claiming that he was helping with all the other actors. But what Peyton said kept going around in her head, and she was beginning to wonder if Lucas was telling the truth.

Suddenly Brooke was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a knock at the door. "Brooke, it's me" she heard Lucas say through the door.

"Come in" She called out softly, so Bella wouldn't wake up.

Lucas opened the door, and came inside. "Hey" he smiled, seeing his two girls. He came over and sat down on the couch; carefully leaning over Bella as he gave Brooke a kiss. "Sorry I'm late, I got held up" he apologized.

"That's ok. I was kept busy by this one" she smiled, looking down at her daughter.

"Just you two here?" he asked.

"Ah huh, Peyton is over at Jake's, painting her new bedroom; so she can move in this weekend"

"Oh, that will be nice for her"

"Yeah, it will be. I'm so happy for her, and Jake is a great guy" she said, as Isabella started to move in her lap. Both parents looked down as Bella placed her thumb in her mouth; still asleep. "She used to do that when she was a baby" Brooke said softly. "God, I can't believe she'll be six soon"

"She doesn't even look close to being five, right now" he stated. And it was true, the way Bella was clinging to Brooke, and had her thumb in her mouth; she didn't even look close to being five.

"Well trust me, she definitely weighs the same as a five year old" Brooke laughed.

"Here" Lucas said, getting up. "I'll take her up to bed". He then gently lifted her out of Brooke's lap, and held her. He walked over to the stairs, and as he was climbing them; he teased, "Oh please, she's a feather. You're just not strong"

"Shut up" she warned with raised eyebrows. He laughed, and continued walking up the stairs.

As Brooke sat on the couch, waiting for him to come down; she began wondering what held him up tonight, and was beginning to doubt Lucas. He wasn't acting like himself; he was acting like he did when they were in high school, when he was sneaking around with Peyton. And that scared her.

When Lucas came down the stairs, she gave a fake smile. When he sat down, Brooke moved to snuggle into the side of his body; as he draped his arm around her. Both didn't say anything, just enjoying the quietness of the moment.

"So you've been kinda distant lately" Brooke observed, her voice raspy.

Lucas nodded his head, "Yeah, I know. But it's the movie, and trying help all the actors out"

"So who were you with tonight?" she questioned.

"Oh um…I was with Julian, and the guy who's playing Nathan" he lied.

"Ah" Brooke said simply. It was quiet between them for a moment. Lucas was starting to feel guilt for lying about his previous whereabouts, and Brooke was seriously questioning his honesty. So while she was absentmindedly running her fingers on his leg, she asked, "So you're sure nothing's going on?"

Lucas sat up, and looked straight into her eyes. His voice going up an octave, "Yeah, nothing is going on"

"Ok" she said defensively, "Well…because it just seems like you're never here with me; your mind's always somewhere else and Luke if there's-"

"Brooke" he interrupted her, "I know I've been really busy lately, and I'm sorry for that. But it's this way because it's my novel; everyone's always asking me questions on characters, and the script. I swear, there's nothing going on!"

Brooke looked at him, and was starting to feel bad that she had questioned his honesty. She had to just forget Peyton's warning, and trust Lucas. She had seen how much he'd changed in six years; he wasn't that guy anymore. "Sorry Luke" she apologized, "I know I'm acting crazy, it's just, I feel like we haven't spent any time together this week" then Brooke wrapped her arm around his waist. "I was beginning to miss you"

Lucas smiled at the little pout that was forming on her lip. The famous Brooke Davis pout; the same facial expression that Isabella had inherited, along with so many other qualities she had gotten from her mom. "I've missed you too, Cheery"

"Well, glad to know that, Broody" she giggled, retaliating against him with his nickname of long ago. They both laughed, as love and happiness started to fill the room once again. "And I happen to know someone who's been missing you" Brooke offered.

"Who's that?"

"Oh, you know; the little human being _we_ created" she said, indicating their daughter.

"Bella's missed me?"

"Yep" she nodded her head, "She's been asking me why she hasn't seen her dear old Daddy in a while"

"First of all, I'm not old. I'm twenty-three" he laughed, "And second, Brooke; I was over here on Tuesday"

"Lucas, a week is a lifetime in the eyes of a five year old. So to her, two days is a long time" She explained, patting her hand against his cheek. He smirked as she said this. It warmed his heart knowing that his daughter loved and missed him. Even though he had only been in her life for seven months now, he and Isabella had developed a wonderful father-daughter relationship.

"Well, we can have a family day on Saturday; we can even go out to dinner on Saturday night" he offered.

"But what about tomorrow. Come on, it's Friday night" she begged. Lucas felt himself tense up a little bit, knowing that the next words coming out of his mouth were a lie. "I can't tomorrow night, Brooke. I'm meeting Julian at TRIC; we're going over the final script that we've been working on"

"Fine, Saturday" she agreed, resigning to the idea. "But if you cancel on me, I'll be angry at you" she warned.

"You know, I'm the one who should be angry at you right now" Lucas said, in mock anger. Brooke furrowed her brow in confusion, "And why would you be mad at me?"

"Because you didn't keep up your end of _our_ deal" he told, bringing up the deal they had made at TRIC a week ago.

"Oh, you mean the deal we made in your office?" she asked. He nodded his head, so she continued, "Well, me being Brooke Davis. I was going to rock your world that night. That was, until you canceled on me"

Damn. He had forgotten about that; but he still decided to press the issue. "But I still kept up my end of the bargain" he pouted. Brooke smiled at his pathetic-ness. With her finger, she motioned for him to come closer to her. And when he did, she looked deep into his blue eyes, and placed her hands on both sides of his face. "Just be happy that you're so irresistible" she whispered, as she began kissing his neck.

As make-out session intensified, Brooke had moved, so that she was sitting directly on Lucas; as his hands, which had started on her waist; were soon making their way up her shirt. He lightly cupped her chest, and when they both got to the point where they were panting, Brooke abruptly got up. "Wait! What are you doing?" Lucas asked, confused as to the why she got up.

"Come on Pretty boy" she said seductively, now standing at her bedroom door. "We have a deal to keep, remember". Lucas cocked his eyebrow at this, and grinned as he got up; following Brooke into the bedroom.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

It was the next afternoon. Brooke was leaning against the pillar of Bella's school; waiting for her daughter to come out. She had had a stressful day at work; dealing with a teenager who decided to shoplift in her store. Brooke couldn't believe that some girl, who couldn't be more than fifteen; stole from her. She was Brooke Davis, the owner of the company!

Brooke rubbed her temples, trying to forget the incident. She had hoped that her day wouldn't get any worse. As she looked up, she saw _her_ bright ray of sunshine running to her.

"MAMA!" Isabella shrieked, running over to her mom. Brooke bent down, and enveloped her daughter in a hug. "Hey peanut" she swung her from side to side. "How was your day?"

"Great! Look what I made" she smiled, holding out a piece of paper. "I drew a picture of our family. That's you, and that's daddy" she pointed out. Brooke smiled, she loved hearing the word _family_ come from her daughter.

"Its beautiful baby" Brooke said, looking at the picture. "And you know what, you might be the next Picasso"

"Pecan-what?" she asked, scrunching her face.

"Picasso. He was a famous artist or something like that- You know what, never mind" she laughed, seeing Bella's face. Brooke bent down, and picked up her daughter. "Mommy!" Isabella protested, as Brooke carried her to the car, "You don't have to carry me"

"I know. But pretty soon you'll be too big to carry, and after that you'll become a grouchy teenager"

"Na huh" Bella shook her head, "I'll never be grouchy teenager"

"Oh trust me little missy, if you're anything like me, which I can definitely say you are; you will be a grouchy, defiant teenager" Brooke laughed, "So I'm gonna enjoy your littleness right now"

"But Mama, I'm not a baby" she argued. Brooke smirked, and kissed the top of her head. "You will always be my baby" she said, just as they got to her car. She opened the door, and placed Bella in her seat.

"Seatbelt" Brooke reminded, as she shut the door.

"I know mom" Bella said, rolling her eyes. After quite a few threats, and some tears; Isabella had finally given up on her seatbelt issue. She now knew her Mama meant business when it came to that. When Brooke got into the car, she turned around to make sure Bella had listened. "Was that an eye roll I saw?" she asked; her voice firm, but there was a smile on her face.

"Yep" Bella nodded her head, giggling. Brooke laughed, and turned back in her seat. It still amazed her how much Isabella was like her, especially at this age. She didn't even want to think of Bella at sixteen; that was terrifying.

Brooke put the car into drive, and made her way onto the streets of Tree Hill; heading home. She was planning on helping Peyton pack her stuff.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Lucas got off the elevator, and made his way through the hotel. As he walk in the hallway, he started to feel guilty. He felt bad, knowing that he had been lying to Brooke for the past week. He had to keep convincing himself that this was for the movie. He loved Brooke, and wanted her to be portrayed in the best way possible. That is why he'd been going over to Alex's hotel room each night. He had helped her, mainly going over what was in the novel and Brooke's personality. And he could see that Alex was listening, and taking his advice; especially when they had the first script run through with all the actors the other day.

He knocked on the door, and waited. "Hey" Alex smiled, opening her door; seeing Lucas.

"Hi" he said, stepping into the hotel room; then taking notice of her clothing. "What are you wearing, or better yet; why aren't you wearing pants?" he moved his hand, blocking out her lower region.

"Oh, these?" she questioned, motioning down to her panties. "Pants are so restricting, I hate wearing them"

"Well could you put some on?"

"No thanks, I'm good" she smiled, skipping over to the couch. "Ready?" she asked, a little too happy.

"Yeah" Lucas said, rolling his eyes; going over to sit next to her.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Bella, if you keep popping that, I'm gonna send you to bed. It's almost bedtime anyways" Brooke warned, as her five year old had spent the last few minutes popping bubble wrap. Brooke was in Peyton's room, putting some of her records in a box. They had been packing her stuff for a few hours.

"But it's fun, Mom" Bella defended.

"Yeah, it's fun mom" Peyton said in a little kid voice, plopping down next to Bella on the bed. Brooke smiled at her, and finished packing the box. As she tried lifting the box, she realized how heavy it was. "This is a boulder, not a box" she commented, leaving the box, and falling onto the bed; exhausted. "We need man power. Where's Jake?"

"Moving a desk at his house-"Peyton paused, "I guess it's my house now. Man, that's crazy to say!" she laughed, then looked over at Brooke. "Where's Luke?"

"At TRIC with Julian" she answered.

"Shouldn't he be done by now. I mean, it's almost eight?" Peyton questioned, looking at her watch.

"Yeah, maybe he is" Brooke said, getting up. She walked out of the bedroom, and went into the kitchen; picking up her phone. She quickly scrolled to his number, and dialed. "Come on Luke, pick up!" she whined, hearing several rings. After she got his voicemail, she decided to call Julian.

"Hey" She said, hearing Julian pick up on the other end.

"Hey Brooke"

"So just wondering, when are you and Lucas gonna be done?"

"Going to be done?" he asked, utterly confused.

"Yeah" Brooke said, starting to become confused herself. "When are you and Lucas going to be done tonight?"

"I'm not with Lucas. I'm here at TRIC with Adam"

"What?" she gasped, "Lucas isn't there"

"No, he left a few hours ago" he informed. Brooke's heart dropped as she heard this. She was coming to the realization that Lucas had lied to her. Peyton's warning came to mind, and she was beginning to wonder if Lucas had been honest with her about his previous whereabouts the other nights.

"Brooke" she heard Julian on the other end.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that" she apologized, then asked, "Did you and Lucas meet last night?"

"No" he replied, "Brooke, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. That's all I needed, thanks Julian" she said, hanging up the call. Anger started to take hold of her, as she thought about this new revelation. She quickly grabbed her purse and keys, then storming to Peyton's room. "Hey P.?"

"Yeah?" Peyton put down the record she and Bella were looking at.

"Can you watch Bella? I need to go somewhere" she asked. Peyton looked at her questioningly, "Are you ok?"

No, no she wasn't. But she wasn't going to say anything with her five year old daughter sitting there. "Yeah, I just have to go take care of something. I'll tell you later, after-" she indicated towards Isabella.

"Oh, ok. I'll watch her. Go do what you need to do"

"Thanks Peyton" she faked smiled, then looked at Bella. "Isabella, you listen to Peyton"

"Yes mom" Bella said. Brooke gave them a quick nod, and then turned on her heels; leaving the room. She stormed out of her house, because she was going to find out what Lucas had been up too, once and for all.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Lucas put his novel down in his lap. He had been at the hotel for over an hour, and decided that he had helped Alex all he could. "Alex, I really need to get going"

"You're going? But can't you help me with my lines?" she begged, bottom lip sticking out.

Lucas cringed, knowing that she was going to say something like this. But truth be told, he wanted to be done helping Alex. It wasn't right to do this to Brooke. "We can work on your lines, Monday. At TRIC with the other actors" he said, deflecting her request.

"But Lucas, I want to have them memorized by then"

"Alex, I have to go" he said firmly.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. As Lucas stopped, she quickly moved on top of him. Her lips hitting against his.

And at that very moment, Brooke opened the hotel door. Her heart stopped, and her face had the ultimate look of shock and betrayal; as she saw Lucas with a half-naked Alex Dupre on top of him, their lips locked. Brooke had a million thoughts go through her head in that very second; hurt, betrayal, anger, sadness, and shock. They were all the emotions she felt six years ago, and they were all rushing back to her. All the memories of Lucas and Peyton came back. Her heart felt like it was stabbed with a knife, a feeling she never wanted to feel again. A feeling she felt six years ago.

She turned around quickly, tears starting to fill her eyes. She heard Lucas's voice, "BROOKE!"

"I can't believe this!" she stated, walking through the hallway. "This can't be happening again!"

"Brooke, wait" Lucas said, catching up to her. He grabbed her arm. "Leave. Me. Alone. Lucas Scott." she growled, pulling her arm away.

Lucas held up his hands, "Brooke, it's not what it looked like. Nothing happened, you have to believe me. It's the truth" Lucas defended. Brooke looked at him; her face was seething with anger. "The truth, huh?" she scoffed, "You want me to believe you, when you haven't been honest with me the entire time"

"Brook-"he started to say, but Brooke cut him off.

"You lied to me Lucas. You've been lying to me" She hissed. "I called Julian tonight because I couldn't get ahold of you. He told me that you guys didn't meet tonight, or last night"

Lucas couldn't say anything, knowing that everything she had just said was true.

"I thought you changed, Lucas. I truly believed you had. I thought that you weren't that guy you were six years ago; the guy who cheated on me." Brooke continued, her tears starting to fall. "But you had me fooled. You haven't changed at all; you're still that lying jerk you were in high school."

"Brooke, I've changed"

"Really?" she more stated than asked, "Then where the hell have you been this last week? Huh? You've been here, haven't you?"

Lucas sighed and looked down, confirming to Brooke that she was right.

"This is why we broke up after the wedding" she said; bringing up the time she left six years ago after Nathan and Haley's wedding. Right after she found out she was pregnant. Brooke pressed the elevator button, and looked at Lucas. "And this is why we're breaking up now"

"Breaking up? Please Brooke, I'm sorry" he pleaded. But she shook her head, "I can't forgive you for this, Luke"

"But I forgave you, Brooke" he said.

"Forgave me?" she furrowed her brow. "You might want to enlighten me on that one?" she inquired angrily.

"I forgave you when you didn't tell me about Bella" Lucas explained, using that reason against her.

"I didn't even ask for you to forgive me; that was my choice for my daughter. And second, this is exactly why I didn't tell you about her; because you haven't changed" She wiped the tears away from her face, as the elevator doors opened. She walked in, and turned to face him; anger and determination in her face. "Lucas, we're done"

"Brooke?"

"We're. Done." She stated, as the elevator doors closed.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke unlocked the door, and walked into her house. She had managed to stop crying on the drive back, but still felt that at any minute she could. She shut the door, and looked into the living room; seeing Peyton on the couch, watching TV.

"Hey, Izzy's already in bed" Peyton informed, looking over the couch; though she couldn't see Brooke's face.

Brooke nodded, and as she placed her purse and keys on the table; she saw the picture Bella drew. _Our Family._ At those words, wrote in Isabella's writing; she broke into tears again. Crying because she knew that her daughter's picture would never become a reality. They would never be a family. She and Lucas were over…and her heart had been broken again by the same boy.

"Brooke?" Peyton said concerned; she got up quickly and rushed to her best friend. She could tell Brooke had been crying. "What's wrong?"

"Lucas and I b-broke up" she could barely speak the sentence. "What?" Peyton wrapped her arms around her, enveloping her in a hug "Oh my God, what happened?"

"I caught him in the hotel room with Alex" she sobbed…

 **Brooke and Lucas broke up? Tell me what you think & REVIEW!**


	16. Regrets and Mistakes Memories Make

**Sorry for it being so long between updates. I'm still shocked and amazed at how many reviews I've received. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH, I COULDN'T UPDATE THIS STORY WITHOUT THE SUPPORT!**

 **This was a tough chapter to write. I rewrote it a few times. I don't know how I feel about this chapter, I'm not really good at writing break-up scenes.**

 **I just wanted to let you guys know that I have decided to add Sam in this story. I have already dreamed up how her character will come into this story, and how she and Isabella will interact. She will be making her appearance very soon!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

KNOCK, KNOCK

"Momma" Isabella said into Brooke's door. She knocked again. "Mommy"

Brooke had been in her room all morning, after having a rough night. She cried more tears than she knew she had. All the while, Peyton held and comforted Brooke in her arms.

It felt like Deja vu to both of them, having gone through the same thing three years prior; when Peyton came to Brooke in New York. She showed up at the door of Brooke's apartment wanting her best friend. It was after her and Lucas has broken up. She had apologized to her, saying that she was sorry for everything that had gone down in high school, and wanted her best friend back. Peyton met and learned about Isabella, Brooke telling her everything. Peyton cried in Brooke's arms that night, while Brooke comforted her. That night changed everything for the two, they had forgiven each other and decided to be friend again. And throughout the years, they had become best friends again, with Peyton always being there for her and Bella.

"Izzy, leave your mom alone. She probably sleeping" Peyton reprimanded. She was standing in the kitchen making lunch. She has tried to keep Bella out of Brooke's room, wanting to give Brooke some time alone. So she had taken care of Bella that morning, getting her breakfast, and had planned after lunch to take her to the recording studio.

Isabella gave her a puzzled look, and walked into the kitchen. "Why?" she asked innocently, climbing onto the kitchen stool.

Peyton thought for a moment, trying to think about how to explain last night to her niece. But there was no way in hell that she was going to tell her that Brooke and Lucas had broken up. "Your mom had a really bad night last night"

"What happened?"

"Um—"she stuttered, "She was just really sad, and I think we should leave her alone. Let her be by herself until she feels better"

"Oh, ok"

"So" Peyton started, going back to making lunch "I was thinking that you and I could go over to the label. I'm almost done with Mia's demo"

"Mia, I love Mia. She's one of my best friends but isn't my best, best friend" She rambled off quickly. Peyton laughed at her enthusiasm. She was so much Brooke. "Oh really? Who's your best, best friend then?" she asked, using her words back at her.

Isabella tapped her chin, thinking. "Jamie is"

"I was thinking you'd say that" Peyton put a sandwich on a plate, "So little B. Davis do you want to go record music with Mia, or would you rather sit here bored out of our minds" She asked rhetorically, making a face with wide eyes.

"Go record music" Bella smiled.

"Good" Peyton put the plate in front of her, "Now eat your lunch"

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke and Isabella we're sitting at the table, eating up their dinner. It was just the two of them. Peyton had ended up needing more time at the label, so she took Bella back home, where Brooke had finally gotten out of bed. When she left, the two Davis ladies had decided to watch some TV, having a lazy Saturday. So when dinner rolled around, Brooke had order take-out. Under normal circumstances she didn't like to cook, but especially tonight she didn't want to; and Bella didn't mind. So they sat there eating, while Bella was happily chatting. Brooke didn't want Isabella to know about the break up, so she tried to act as normal as possible; even though she didn't feel like talking.

"I love Chinese food" Isabella smiled, taking a bite.

Brooke smirked at her, "I know, especially the fortune cookies"

"Ah huh, they're the best" she agreed, nodding her head. "Did you know daddy has a tattoo? He said it was a Chinese symbol"

At the mention of Lucas, Brooke took a sharp breath. She didn't want to think about him, or what had happened. She just wanted forget about him, but at the same time, he was Bella's father. A fact that would never change. "Oh really?" Brooke questioned.

"Yeah, he said he got it when you and him'd dated before. I asked him if I could get one, and he said they used needles. Yuck!" she said, horrified at the last part.

"Well that's good, because you will never _ever_ get a tattoo, little missy" Brooke informed.

Bella shook her head, "I don't want one"

Brooke smirked, already knowing that one day, probably in ten years or so, Isabella would ask for a one. "You all done?" Brooke asked, getting up.

"Yep"

"Alright baby, how about we watch a movie. Just me and you" Brooke said, grabbing her plate. She carried the plates over to the counter. "Can I pick?" Bella asked, getting up from the chair.

"Sure, go pick one from your room"

"Yay" she smiled, running up the stairs. "Nothing Barbie" Brooke shouted, up the stairs; while grabbing the takeout boxes. "Because if I hear one more fairytopia—"she was cut off by a knock at the door. She set the boxes down, and walked over to the door; opening it. Much to her dismay, it was the one person she had hoped to avoid in Tree Hill.

"Brooke" Lucas said, standing at the door.

"Lucas, I—"

He cut her off, "Please can we talk?"

"No" she said firmly. She didn't want to deal with all these emotions right now. She had already cried her heart out last night, and talking to him would have those emotions resurface. "I'm not talking with you now" she starting to close the door.

"Please-"

"DADDY!" Isabella yelled, at the top of the stairs. Brooke sighed in frustrated, as she saw Bella run down the stairs to Lucas. He picked her up, and Isabella gave him a hug. "Daddy, I missed you"

"I missed you too, princess"

"I haven't seen you forever" Bella said sadly. Lucas felt bad, knowing he should have been spending time with his daughter the past week. "I know, I'm sorry baby girl"

"It's ok" she forgave, as Lucas set her down. "Wanna watch this movie with me and Mama?" she asked, holding up her favorite DVD. _Beauty and the Beast_.

"I loved to Bella, but I actually came here to talk with mommy"

"Why?" she asked.

"Uh well…Mommy and I have some stuff to talk about" he answered, looking at Brooke. Brooke took a deep breath, seeing that she wouldn't get out of talking to him. So she tapped on her daughter's shoulder "Hey Bella, why don't you go and watch the movie in your room while your daddy and I talk" Brooke explained.

"Is it adult stuff?" Bella asked, knowing it was what her mama always said. "Yeah, adult stuff" Brooke answered. "Okay" she sighed dramatically, looking very much like her mother. She started walking up the stairs and when Brooke knew that her daughter was in her room, she turned to Lucas. "If we are going to talk, we're not going to yell and fight. I don't want Bella to hear that"

"Brooke, I don't want to fight with you"

"Well you should have thought of that before you cheated on me. Again!" she said harshly, taking a seat on the couch.

"I didn't cheat on you"

"I sure looked like that when I walked in there" she hissed.

Lucas rubbed his hands over his face, frustrated. He couldn't believe what an idiot he had been this last week. He had lied to Brooke, but he would make damn sure that she knew he didn't cheat on her. That was something he would never _ever_ do. He loved her, and it pained him to see her hurting; knowing that he caused it.

So he took a seat on a chair. This setting felt familiar to them, both having flashbacks to a few months ago when they had been in the same place; fighting about the fact that Isabella was his daughter, and that Brooke had hid it from him.

"I did not cheat on you. You have to believe me" He pleaded.

"Lucas, I can't trust a word you say. How I'm I supposed to believe you, when you were lying to me" she grounded out.

"Brooke, I did lie to you; and I am sorry for that. I shouldn't of" he said remorsefully. "But can I explain everything?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders and gave him a look that said 'go ahead'.

"Alex came to me, a week or two ago. She said that she wanted to portray you, in the movie, in best way she could. And that when she prepares for a role, she learns about the person; who they are" he explained, then paused, looking at Brooke; before continuing. "So she asks me if I would help her, and that's what I was doing. I was going over the novel with her. It was nothing else, Brooke."

"Why couldn't you tell me that?" she demanded, her voice faltering.

"I should of, I know that now, and I'm sorry"

"You should have known that from the time she asked you" she snapped, "But that doesn't change that fact that you were cheating on me"

"I didn't cheat on you. I…when you walked through the door, she was kissing me. I was getting ready to leave, I told her that I was done helping her. That's when she kissed me. _I_ didn't kiss her, she kissed _Me_." he defended.

"A kiss is a kiss Luke, it always means something. You of all people should know that" she said, referring to their breakup five years ago.

"But it didn't. I don't love Alex, I don't even like her. Brooke, I love you. I want to be with you. My heart is with you and Isabella. Our Family"

At the words of _our family_ , Brooke felt tears in her eyes. Those were the words her daughter had written on the picture she drew.

"Is it impossible for you to forgive me, again?" he practically begged.

"Lucas, you have to give me time, time to process all of this. I don't know how to, how to think, how to feel right now." Brooke stammered out. She was feeling so many emotions right now that she need time to take it all in.

"So are you saying that we're done" he asked, feeling that his whole world was falling apart.

And at the same time, so was Brooke's. A week ago, she was in a relationship with Lucas. They were building towards the goal of becoming a family; him, her, and Bella. She and Lucas even talked about marriage, and what it would be like. For two months they had dated. And those were the best two months of the last five years. But she couldn't be in a relationship with someone who lied to her, someone who was willing to risk their relationship and family for a movie. So she looked at him, never thinking she'd have to say these words to him again. "We're done, _for now_ "

It was quiet between them, both coming to terms with it. Sudden they heard little footsteps coming down the stairs. Both parents turned to see the little figure standing on the stair landing. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, baby girl" he said.

"Can you tuck me in when you and momma are done talking? Please? I want you to do it" she asked, a slight hint of whine in her voice. Bella was rubbing her eye with her little fist, a tell-tale sign to Brooke and Lucas that she was tired and fighting sleep.

Lucas looked at Brooke, not wanting to overstep his boundary, especially now with the given situation. Brooke could tell in his face, that he wanted her to answer their daughter. So she turned her head back to Bella. "Yeah sweetie, daddy will tuck you in. Why don't you go and put on your pajamas and give us five more minutes. Ok?"

"M-kay" she agreed, going back up the steps.

"What are we going to do now, about that?" Lucas asked. "About what?" she questioned, confused.

"About us being parents" he answered, "How are we both gonna be parents Bella? Are we going to co-parent? How is this going to work?"

Brooke rubbed her temple with her fingers. She actually hadn't thought about this. They would have to tread lightly with Bella; knowing how much she loved her momma and daddy together. Brooke knew that she would have to talk with her, and explain things. She was at least thankful that she didn't have to tell her now, that she could tell her in a few days. "I don't know" she said truthfully.

"Well we're going to have to think about this, Brooke. We have a daughter to think about"

"I know that Lucas" she said defensive, "I want to make the best decision for Bella. So we'll just have to figure something out. But we don't have to decide right now"

"Okay" he nodded his head, "Brooke, I'm sorry for everything. For being such an idiot."

"You know what Lucas, you should probably go up and tuck her in before she falls asleep" Brooke said quickly, gesturing towards the stairs. Lucas nodded his head, and got up. He walked to the stairs, but stopped before going up the steps. "Brooke"

She turned and looked at him.

"I'm sorry" he apologized again.

Brooke took a deep breath, "Lucas, just go put our daughter to bed" she said coldly. She didn't want to be a bitch, but after everything that was said and done; she needed time to think, to feel, to know what she wanted and if she was ever going to forgive him again. He has reopened wounds, the painful scars of their past.

Lucas looked at her, remorse written on his face as he walked up the steps. He has screwed up bad this time, and didn't know if what he did, could be forgotten…

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

The next night Brooke found herself alone in her house. Haley had taken Bella with her to Nathan's first slam ball game. Haley had begged Brooke to come with, but she refused. She said that she didn't want to go out; that needed a night to herself, to clear her head and figure things out. And Peyton decided to go with, being that Haley had an extra ticket.

That left Brooke by herself for the night. She watched some TV for a while, but soon got tired out that. She thought about doing some sketches for an upcoming line, but didn't feel like it. She needed something else, something that would make her feel better. So Brooke grabbed her keys and purse, heading to the only place where you could drown your troubles and sorrows in alcohol…TRIC

 **So what do you guys think? How did I do on the breakup scene? Remember to Review!**


	17. What comes after the blues

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

"Chase" Brooke held up glass, "Hit me with another" she said. She was currently sitting at TRIC. She had been there for a half hour, drinking away the hurt and emotions of her breakup with Lucas.

"Another, really Brooke? You trying to get drunk tonight?" Chase asked.

Brooke lightly laughed, "Ah no. The last time I was drunk, I was eighteen and that night changed everything. I don't need to repeat that" and it was true, the last time she was drunk, she was with Lucas; that was the night they conceived Isabella.

Since becoming a mom, Brooke had vowed to be a better person, to never to be like she was in high school; and that included knowing when to stop drinking. She wanted to be a role model for Bella, be a person that her daughter was proud of; something Brooke never had in her own mom.

"Are you serious?" Chase questioned, placing a glass in front of her.

"Yeah" she said in a duh tone.

"Wow eighteen" came a voice behind her. Brooke turned around, and Julian Baker behind her. He walked over and took a seat next to her at the bar. "Not even on you twenty-first birthday?"

"I was taking care of a three year old" she explained, taking a sip of her drink. Julian lightly nodded his head. "So where is Isabella?" he asked, grabbing his own beer.

"Bella is at Nathan's slamball game, Haley took her" she explained. "I didn't go and I didn't want to be alone tonight, so I came here"

"Yeah, I heard what happened between you and Lucas. I'm sorry" he said sincerely. Brooke sighed and took a sip on her drink, empting her glass. "Did you know?" she asked quietly.

"No, I didn't"

Brooke nodded her head, absentmindedly running her finger around the rim of her glass. "I don't want to think about it" she stated, then held up her glass again. "Chase, another"

Chase placed another glass in front of her. Brooke grabbed the glass, threw her head back and hammered it down; trying to forget about the breakup.

As she placed the glass down on the counter, she heard Julian laugh. "What?" she asked, looking at him. Julian smiled at her, "It's just you took it all in one shot"

"And" she smiled back, making Julian chuckle.

"You know what, misery likes company" he said, then looked at Chase. "Hey, can we get two more?" he looked at Brooke. "It's on me"

Brooke smirked at him, "Thanks"

"Do you guys want to try the brain blaster? It's my own drink" Chase asked. Julian looked at Brooke, who just shrugged her shoulders; neither had tried his drink. "Sure" Brooke agreed.

Chase smiled and made the drinks. He put them in front of them, and waited for them to try them.

Brooke and Julian grabbed the drinks, each taking a sip. Brooke immediately spit hers out, while Julian swallowed and coughed. "That's terrible" Brooke remarked.

"Awful" Julian coughed. He looked at Brooke, and they both started to laugh.

The two of them continued to talk that night, though neither of them noticing that Lucas was standing in the shaded doorway. He had come to TRIC, getting some papers he'd left there. When he arrived, he had noticed Brooke sitting there; talking with Julian. He saw the way Brooke smiled at him, and how Julian laughed. As he watched them, he started to feel emotion take hold of him; Hurt. No it wasn't that, it was something that made him angry and have sudden rage inside. What was it? Maybe, just maybe, he was being to feel a little jealously.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"What the hell!" Brooke gasped, as the curtains to her room had been opened. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the light, and then she saw Haley. It was then Brooke realized that she was in her bed and not at TRIC. She looked down and noticed that she was still in her clothes from last night. But she didn't remember coming home. How did she get here?

"And hello to you too" Haley smiled sarcastically.

"Haleyyyy" She whined, pulling the pillow over her face. She had a pounding headache from all the alcohol. "What are you doing here so early?"

Haley laughed, pulling the pillow from her face. "Brooke, it's almost noon"

"What!" she sat up in bed surprised, "Its noon already?" then she paused, "How much did I drink last night?" she asked to herself.

"Obviously enough" Haley laughed, "Where'd you go?"

"TRIC…I was lonely and depressed sitting here, so I decided to go and have a few drinks. I promised myself that I wasn't going to end up like this" she moved her hand up and down, referring to her current state. "But I had a good time, well I think, the night is kinda hazy. I don't even know how I got to my bed" she confessed.

"You don't remember coming home?" Haley asked. Brooke thought for a moment, "Well, I guess I remember a guy bring me home" she said truthfully, then added "It might have been Chase…or anyone else. I have no idea"

"Brooke!"

"I'm sorry, but the last time I had a night like this, I was eighteen"

"Wait a minute, you haven't been drunk since you were eighteen?" Haley asked in disbelief.

"Why is everyone surprised when they hear that?" she hissed. Haley shrugged her shoulders, "Well Brooke, in high school…you were kind of…"

"The party girl" Brooke finished.

"Yeah, but you're not like that anymore" Haley said quickly, "I mean, besides from last night"

"Yeah, which reminds me" Brooke sighed, falling back on the bed. Haley laughed, "I don't think so, come on; Get up"

"But Haleyyy" she whined.

"Nope, come on" Haley said firmly, pulling her up from the bed "I brought you some coffee". Brooke groaned as she followed her into the kitchen. "Thanks" she said, when Haley handed her the cup. She sat down on the kitchen stool and looked around the house. "Where's Isabella?"

"Izzy and Jamie are playing outside. I told them that they could go out and play so we could talk" she explained.

"Haley, I don't really feel like talking" Brooke sighed.

"I talked with Lucas" Haley said, ignoring her. "He came over and told me everything, well everything that he did" Brooke started to shake her head, "Haley, if you came over here to defend him—"

"No, I actually told him that he's a complete idiot" she interrupted, sitting down on the kitchen stool next to Brooke. "I wanted to see how you're doing"

"Alright I suppose." Brooke sighed, placing her head in her hands "Lucas came over the other night. We talked. He told me everything, but I don't know how I feel right now. I mean, he lied to me. The only reason why he told me was because I found out"

"I can't believe he did that" Haley stated.

"And on top of lying to me, I caught him making out with that whore" she said angrily.

Haley nodded her head in understanding. "Yeah, I remember how pissed I was when I walked in on Nathan and Carrie. I never thought Nathan and I would be back together again"

"Yeah but at least you guys are" she mumbled.

"Brooke, it took us time to get back together again; you saw that. I didn't trust Nathan for a long time. You and Luke just need time for your hearts to heal. You two have a ton of history, so this breakup doesn't mean that you'll never be together again. You just need a break from each other"

"So what do I do now?" Brooke asked.

"Focus on yourself" She said. Brooke gave her a questioning look, so Haley explained. "Focus on you, don't focus on your break-up with Lucas. Give yourself a break from the relationship world, and work on something that matters to you. I know that when Nathan and I took a break from each other, and on top of being a mom to Jamie; I focused on my music, on the hope of recording again."

"And that helped you?"

Haley nodded her head. "Yeah, you know it gave me something to believe in when my marriage was falling apart. Something to hold on to"

Brooke rubbed her hand against her face, "I would hold onto anything right now,"

"Just try not to let it be the liquor bottle again. Ok, Brooke" she joked, standing up. "Because after the night you had"

"Watch it, tutor mom" Brooke lightly warned. Haley chuckled, "So you really don't know who brought you home last night?"

"No" she answered, standing up too.

"I should probably go, I have tests to grade. Oh! the joys of being a teacher" she laughed. Brooke laughed too, as they both walked outside and saw that the two little kids playing; riding scooters around the driveway. "Mommy!" Bella exclaimed when she saw Brooke.

Brooke smiled, "Hey Baby"

"Come on Jamie, we gotta go" Haley announced to her son, then she turned to Brooke and gave her a hug. "Well I have to go, but if you want to talk or need anything, call me. Okay?"

"Haley, I'll be fine" Brooke reasoned, releasing from the hug. Haley gave her a small smile, "Ok…but if you need anything—"

"You'll be the first person I call" Brooke assured.

"Alright" she started walking down the driveway, "Bye Brooke"

"Bye" she said, taking a seat on the front step. She saw Haley and Jamie get in the car, then watched her pulled out of the drive way and drive off. Brooke then turned her attention to her five year old.

"So Bella, how was slamball?" she asked.

Isabella stopped her scooter, and looked at her mama. "It was AWESOME!" she shrieked, "Aunt Haley got us popcorn, and then we watched Uncle Nathan play basketball; and guess what we did after the game?"

"What?"

"We got to jump on the huge trampolines" she exclaimed. "Well that sound like fun, baby" Brooke smiled.

"It was the best night ever!" she smirked, then continued to ride her scooter.

At her comment, Brooke thought about last night. Who was the guy that brought her home? She tried her hardest to think, but her memory was fuzzy from all the drinks. She just remembered it was a guy, but who was it?

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

It was a few days later. Brooke had just picked up Isabella from school. She looked in the rear-view mirror at Bella, and started to become concerned, seeing her daughter's sad face looking out the window. Isabella hadn't been acting like herself since she'd picked her up from school. She was quiet, something that wasn't like Isabella. "Sweetie, what's with the sad face?"

"Nothing" she sighed.

"Isabella, what's wrong? Did you have a bad day at school?" Brooke asked. Isabella turned her head and looked at her mama. "No, but uncle Nathan was there"

"And that made you sad?" she asked. Bella nodded her head, "Ah huh"

"Why?" she questioned confused.

Isabella was quiet and Brooke could tell that she wanted to say something. "Mommy" came Bella's little voice, "Why doesn't Daddy come over anymore?"

Brooke took a sharp breath. She knew that eventually Bella would ask. She and Lucas still hadn't talked, which meant that Bella hadn't seen her daddy in a couple of days. Brooke knew that she and Lucas would have to talk and figure out some kind of parenting arrangement. They needed to put their daughter's needs first before their own problems of their relationship. But first Brooke would have to tell Bella about the breakup, her daughter needed to know.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke and Bella laid on the merry-go-round at the park, staring at the clouds. Brooke had decided to take her to the park. They had barely talked, being that Brooke didn't know what to tell her daughter. Bella loved Lucas, and even though Brooke was pissed at Lucas; she wanted Bella to have a great relationship with him.

"Momma?" Bella said.

"Yeah baby?"

"Did you and Daddy break up?" Bella asked straight-forward. Surprised by her question, Brooke rolled over on her stomach; looking at her. "What makes you think that?"

Bella rolled over, having an identical pose as Brooke. "Well…daddy never comes over anymore, and you don't talk about him. You and daddy don't hug or kiss, and that's stuff you do when you're dating"

Brooke knew that Bella would figure it out eventually, especially since Lucas hadn't been coming around. Things had definitely changed in the last week. Plus Brooke wanted to be open with Bella, since she had always been open and honest with her. So Brooke knew that she had to tell her now. "Yeah Baby, we broke up"

"Why?"

"You know Bella, we had some adult things come up, and your dad and I just couldn't quite get them solved" She explained the best she could to her five year old. "But you know what, your dad and I love you, and things are going to be fine"

"But I'm not gonna see daddy anymore?" Isabella commented sadly.

Brooke furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? Of course you'll still see your dad"

"Na huh" she shook her head, "Cause' you and daddy said that you and him'd had adult stuff to work out before I met daddy. That's why I didn't meet him'd when we lived'ed in New York" Bella explained.

If the situation wouldn't have been so serious or saddening to her, Brooke would've smiled at Bella's childish grammar. "Bella, that was a different type of adult stuff; you'll still see your daddy.

Isabella still didn't look convinced. She looked at her mama with her big blue eyes. "You promise that I'll still see daddy" she asked. Brooke extended her arms, and pulled Bella onto her lap. "Isabella, I promise you will still see your daddy"

"Okay" she said, giving her mama a hug. Brooke put her arms around her daughter. "I wish that you and daddy didn't break up" Bella said quietly.

Brooke eyes filled with tears as she tightened her arms around her, and mumbled. "I know baby. Me too"

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Later than night, after Brooke had put Isabella to bed; Brooke went around, cleaning up the house. She felt better after talking with Bella. It was something that needed to be done, and she wasn't surprised how Isabella took the news. Isabella had wanted her and Lucas to be together.

Brooke went over to the table, gathering up some color pencils and paper that Bella had been using. Brooke looked at the drawings, becoming surprised by what she saw. Bella had drawn some sketches of clothing, and they were actually good. There were a few pages of different sketches, each with _Isabella Karen Davis_ written at the bottom, something Brooke always did with her sketches. Brooke smiled. Isabella had seen her draw hundreds of sketches, so she must have decided to draw her own.

Suddenly, Brooke was hit with an idea. What about a children's clothing line, no wait! A girls clothing line; but something that was still affiliated the with Clothes Over Bros. She had never thought about a girl's line. So with the sudden inspiration of designs and idea's, Brooke quickly got out her own paper and pencils; because she had found her something to believe in.

 **Who do you think the mysterious person was that took Brooke home? Review and tell me what you think?**


	18. Weeks go by like Days

**I want to say thank you so much for the favorites and reviews, they give me so much inspiration to continue to write this story. So remember to review!**

 **I just want to let you guys know that I have decided not to add Samantha Walker. I know I said I was going to a few chapters back, but I changed my mind. I decided not to add her because I have dreamed up a surprising new idea for this story line. Let's just say this…DRAMA!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis.**

 **FYI- This chapter takes place** ** _SIX WEEKS_** **after the last chapter. Very important to know for upcoming chapters.**

Lucas was sitting at the kitchen table trying to type his latest novel, when he heard little footsteps coming towards the kitchen. It was Saturday, so Lucas had Isabella for the weekend. Since the breakup, he and Brooke had finally worked out a schedule; he had Bella every other weekend and a couple times a week. It wasn't the best arrangement in the world, but it worked for them.

He looked up and smiled as he saw his daughter skipping into the kitchen, wearing her basketball shorts and shirt. He had promised to take her to sign up for youth basketball, the same team Nathan was signing Jamie up for.

"Hi daddy" she smiled, coming up to him.

"Hey baby girl" He smiled, picking her up and sitting her on his lap. Bella looked at the computer screen, "What are you doing?" she asked. Lucas sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm attempting to write my next novel" he answered.

"Is it hard?"

"Well, it isn't easy" he said truthfully, starting to chuckle. "Did you clean your room yet?" he asked her. Since she was at his house a lot more, Lucas had decided to give Bella her own room at his house. So he moved into his mom's old bedroom, and he gave Bella his room.

"Umm—"Bella looked around the room, then looked at her daddy with excited eyes. "Daddy did I show you my loose tooth?"

Lucas lightly laughed at how Isabella ignored his question. "You showed me it yesterday, princess"

"I know, but it's more wiggly today" She stated.

"Alright let me see it" he smirked. Isabella smiled, revealing her very first loose tooth. "It's very loose, dad"

"Hmm, it looks like it'll fall out any day now"

"Ah huh, and then the tooth fairy will come." she squealed, "I want more teeth to fall out so I can get money"

"You're too little to be having missing teeth" he commented. It actually made him sad that she was beginning to loose teeth. It made him realize that she was growing up. He knew that he'd already missed out on so much of her life.

"Daddy, I'm not little" she stated, "I'm gonna be six in a month"

"In a month, huh? How do you know that?"

"Because mom told me" she answered in a duh tone. He smiled, and Bella continued, "And mom said that I'm gonna have a party. I wanted a basketball party but I think mama wants it to be princesses"

"But you like princesses" he reminded. Bella gave him a face, "I know daddy, but I like basketball more"

"Oh!" he laughed, "Okay"

Isabella then remembered something. "Um, Daddy, are we still gonna go? I'm ready" she asked, looking at her clothes. Lucas gave her a puzzled face, pretending to not know, "Hmm, go where?"

"Dad!" she exclaimed dramatically, "To get me ready for basketball"

Lucas smirked at her dramatics, she was so much like Brooke. "Oh that's right"

"And you promist'ed to take me" she said. "Promised" he corrected.

"So are we still gonna go?" she asked again, looking up at him with begging eyes. She had been practically counting down the days since her daddy had promised that he'd sign her up for basketball.

"Well that depends, did you clean your room like I asked you to?" he questioned. The sudden change in her face gave him the answer. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Bella"

"Not yet" she mumbled, "But I can do it after basketball"

"Baby girl, you need to clean it before we leave" he said. "But dad, I'll do it later" Bella argued.

"Nope" he shook his head, and then set her to her feet. "Isabella, we aren't gonna go till it's clean and it won't take you that long; so go clean it" he said.

"Fine!" she threw back her head, and gave an exasperated sigh. Lucas smiled as Bella turned and walked to her room. He could remember being five years old and not wanting to clean his room. He had a new appreciation for his mom and Brooke; seeing how hard being a single parent was. Of course he and Brooke were on the same page when they parented Bella, but he was the only parent when Isabella was with him; and it was hard having to be the good cop and bad cop sometimes. But he wouldn't change it for the world, he loved his daughter.

The only thing he would change was the fact the he wasn't with Brooke. He wished he could go back in time, erasing his mistakes. He would do anything to be with her again; to share his life with her, to be a couple once again. He loved Brooke, a fact that hadn't changed since high school and it pained him to know that he caused their breakup. He could only try to have things get better with her, on the hope that one day they would be back together again.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Brooke was sitting inside her store, working on her sketches. Her store was filled with different sketches and marketing material. The past six weeks had flown by for her. She had started up a new little girls clothing line called 'Little Missy'. She had gotten a lot of inspiration looking at her daughter sketches, seeing what designs Isabella liked. It hadn't launched yet because she was still waiting for the board's approval; but she planned to debut it to them in the next few weeks.

Just as she was finishing up her last sketch, she heard a song come on the radio.

 ** _Hey, hey, hey_**

Smiling, she got up and walked to the radio. Turning it up, she started dancing around the store; mouthing the words.

 ** _Ohhh whoa._** ** _Won't you come see about me? I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby_**

She was so engrossed in the song that she didn't hear the door open or see Julian walk in. Just as she spun around, she saw him.

"Oh wow! Breakfast Club, you are the priss" Julian smiled.

"Let me guess, you were the stoner?" she retorted. He laughed, and held up two brown bags and water bottles. "I brought us some lunch"

Brooke furrowed her brow, "Why...Oh wait, is this another attempt of yours to get me to design the wardrobe for the movie?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. For the past few weeks, Julian had been bugging her to design the wardrobe for the movie; but because of the breakup, she had refused.

Julian smiled, confirming her question.

"Julian I already told you, I'm not a costume designer" she stated. He looked around the store, "Oh, I can see that" he said sarcastically.

"I'm starting a new line" Brooke pointed out, motioning her hand to the desk.

"Ok, let me try this again for the millionth time" He grinned, "You should design the wardrobe for the movie. You were there, it's authentic, it's press worthy; and I would be lucky to have you before the debut of your new line, which I'm sure is going to be fabulous"

Brooke looked at him, and he added. "And I thought that you and I could talk about it again during a business lunch" he held up the bags.

"Look, I realize that you're the producer of this movie and want a fabulous designer; which I am" Brooke smiled, "But this is Lucas's novel; and I really don't—"Brooke stopped, smelling the food in the bag Julian was holding. She suddenly had a wave of nausea come over her. "What's in the bag?" she asked disgustedly.

"Oh, um, it's our lunch" he answered dumbly. Brooke gave him a face, "What is it?"

"I got you a Caesar salad and I got myself a burger" he answered, noticing that she looked like she was about to get sick. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah" she nodded her head; then went over and sat back down in her chair.

"Want some water?" he asked, holding out one of the bottles. "Yeah" she said, grabbing it from him. She took a sip, starting to feel better. "Thanks"

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine. Bella was sick last week, and I think I caught what she had" she explained.

"So I guess our lunch is canceled" he laughed. "Oh god yes" Brooke exclaimed with a shiver of her shoulders because she still had a little nausea. She looked at him sympathetically, "Julian if it was any other movie I would say yes, but this is Lucas's movie"

"Just consider it" he said, though he did understand where Brooke was coming from. He felt bad for her going through this breakup, and thought that Lucas was an idiot. Brooke was beautiful, kind, and smart; any guy would be lucky to date her. Every time he saw her, his heart skipped a beat. He was starting too really like her, and only wished that one day, he might date her.

"Julian, it's not happening" she stated, as Julian started making his way to the door.

He turned around. "Think about" he said, opening and walking out the door.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Daddy, I'm strong; I can do it" Isabella announced, trying to open the door to the high school gym. Lucas held his hands up, "Okay princess". Isabella had been trying to be more independent lately, something both he and Brooke had noticed. So he watched as Bella tried opening the heavy gym door, and after a minute or two; eventually opening it. "I told you I was strong" she smiled triumphantly.

"Yeah, you're like superwoman" he commented, causing Isabella to laugh. He opened the door, and he and Bella walked into the gym; seeing Junk and Fergie playing basketball, while Skills sat on the bleachers.

"Hey" Lucas greeted, as they walked over to Skills.

Skills stood up, "What up dawg" he said, giving him a bro hug. Then he looked down at Bella. "How you doing, little B. Davis?"

"Good. My daddy's signing me up for basketball today" she smiled. Skills looked at Lucas and shook his head, "I can't believe you're letting her play basketball with them two knuckleheads as coaches" He commented, directing his comment at Junk and Fergie.

Lucas chuckled "Aw come on Skills, they're not that bad"

"They're terrible" he said with a dead serious face. "Here" Skills handed Lucas a clipboard.

"What's this?"

"Some forms the basketball league is making parents sign" he explained, "Back in our day, they threw a jersey at us and that was it"

Lucas smirked, "Thanks". Then he took Bella's hand and walked over to the bleachers. He sat down, and took Isabella on his lap. "Ahh, let's see" he sighed, looking at the form. "Name?"

"Isabella Davis" Bella said. Lucas smiled at her. As he was writing it down, Bella twisted her body, so she was looking at her daddy. "Dad?"

"Yeah, princess?"

"Why don't I have your name?" she questioned, "Because your name is Scott"

Lucas looked up from the paper at her. He and Brooke had talked about legally changing Isabella's last name to Scott, but that was before when they were dating. It didn't seem likely now. "Because you have your mom's last name"

"But why don't I have yours?" she asked.

"Um, well…when mom named you, she chose to use her name" Lucas answered, and thankfully his answer satisfied his daughter. "Ok" Bella said.

"Alright, let's see what else is on here—"he said, going back to the form. "What number do you want on the back of your jersey, princess?"

"Three" she replied quickly, "Cause it's was your number daddy". It made Lucas smile, seeing that his daughter wanted his old jersey number.

He continued writing information down, and everything was fine until he got to one question _'Any known heart conditions'_. He froze, and it felt like his heart stopped beating. Lucas hadn't thought about it before; did Isabella have his heart condition? He knew the statistics, she had a fifty percent chance of having it.

"Dad?" Bella said, seeing that her daddy had stopped writing. Lucas looked up at her; worry and anxiety started to overtake him. What if he had given his baby girl his heart condition?

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Later that night, Brooke collected the last of her sketches. It was typically for her to stay late at the store if Isabella was with Lucas, and tonight was no exception. It had been hard on her with the new arrangement. She was used to having her daughter with her all the time, and she wasn't used to having free time without her. Brooke really didn't like the schedule, but knew that Bella needed her daddy in her life. Bella needed that stability.

But what had been hardest for her was the breakup. After going five years without being in a relationship, then being in one with Lucas; she wasn't used to being alone again. She had gotten used to having someone; someone there to talk about her day or snuggle with at night. That's what was hardest.

But she had decided to take Haley's advice and take a break from the dating world. It had been officially six weeks since she and Lucas had been broken up; and in those six weeks, things had gotten better between them. The first few weeks had been rough, but they were finally at the point where they were talking; but it was only about their daughter. They had both decided that they were going to try their hardest to co-parent, despite the difficult situation.

So Brooke grabbed her purse and sketches, walking over to the door. Taking one last look around her store for the night, she flicked the light switch off and left.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"So how did the basketball thing go?" Haley asked. Lucas and Isabella were at Nathan and Haley's for dinner. Lucas, Haley and Nathan were in the kitchen, while the two little kids were playing upstairs.

"Not that well" Lucas answered. He hadn't stopped thinking about Isabella, and was really worried that she might have his heart condition.

Haley gave him a puzzled look, "Why? What happened?"

"Hey, um, did you guys ever—"

"Nathan!" Haley exclaimed, as Nathan reached to grab some garlic bread; cutting Lucas off. "That's for dinner" she stated, swatting is hand away, "I just caught Jamie trying to do the same thing"

"Hales, come on" he slightly whined.

She playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "No" she scolded, then turned back to Lucas. "Sorry Luke, what were you trying to say?"

"Um, did you guys ever get Jamie tested for Dan's heart condition?" he asked.

Nathan nodded his head, "Yeah, we got him tested when he was a baby" he answered, "Thankfully he doesn't have it. Why?"

"Oh" Haley gasped, realizing why Lucas asked, "Does Isabella—?"

"I don't know. I didn't think about it before and I don't think Brooke did either" Lucas explained. Haley and Nathan looked at him shocked. They both loved and cared about their niece. "Oh my god" Haley mumbled.

Lucas sighed, "I just can't believe that she might have it"

All three adults looked towards the family room when they heard a loud shriek, and the sounds of footsteps running down the stairs. "DADDY!" Isabella shouted happily, running towards Lucas with Jamie by her side. "I lost my tooth. It 'felled' out when I was playing the Wii". She smiled, showing her missing tooth.

"Wow Bella!" he smirked. "Ohhh, you look so cute" Haley gushed, and even Nathan smiled.

Isabella looked at Lucas, "Is the tooth fairy gonna come tonight?" she asked excitedly. Lucas nodded head, "Yeah, baby girl"

"YES!" Isabella squealed and fist pumped her hand in the air, as the three adults laughed.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Momma" Bella shrieked, when Brooke opened the door. It was the next day, so Lucas was bringing Isabella back to Brooke. Bella jumped into her mama's arms. "I missed you" Bella said. Brooke caught her and held her in her arms. "I missed you too, baby" she said, kissing the top of her head.

Isabella pulled back from Brooke, "Guess what?"

"What?" She asked, then noticing her missing tooth. "Wait a minute, did you lose that tooth?"

"Ah huh" Bella nodded her head smiling, revealing the gap in her row of teeth. "And the tooth fairy gave me twenty dollars"

"Wow!" Brooke marveled, though of the inside she was sad; she should have been there to witness her daughter lose her first tooth. It seemed as though Bella had changed too; looking much more grown up in those short three days.

"Can I put it in my piggy bank?"

"Sure baby" She answered, putting Bella to her feet. "But give your dad a hug goodbye first"

"Ok" Isabella went over and wrapped her little arms around her daddy. "Bye Daddy" she said. Lucas hugged her back, "Bye princess, be good for mommy"

"I'm always good" she defended with a suspicious smile.

Brooke raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, ah huh" she smirked sarcastically. Isabella started giggling, and as she turned to go up the stairs, Brooke gave her a playful swat to her bottom. "Go put that money in your room, little missy" she said. Bella laughed and walked up the stairs, leaving the two parents alone.

Lucas looked at Brooke with concern written on his face. "Um, Brooke, I need to talk with you"

"What about?" she questioned.

"Can we talk out here?" he asked, gesturing towards outside.

"Sure" she walked out the door with Lucas. "I can't believe I missed out on her first tooth" she muttered.

"Think of all I missed out on, Brooke" He snapped, turning around and looking at her. Brooke narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you want to talk about, Lucas?"

"I took Bella to sign up for youth basketball, like we talked about" Lucas began. Brooke nodded her head in agreement, "And?" she inquired. He took a deep breath. "They asked if she had a heart condition"

"Why would that—"she stopped, remembering Lucas's genetic heart condition. She was suddenly hit with worry and anxiety. So she looked at Lucas with fear in her eyes. "You don't think—"

"There's a strong chance" He affirmed.

"How strong?" she questioned.

"Fifty percent chance" Lucas said quietly.

Brooke gasped, putting her hand over her mouth; horrified. Her daughter, her five year old baby could have a heart condition. What if Isabella had to have surgery, or a heart transplant? If she did have it, how bad was it? Was her daughter going to be okay?

 **I'm just going to say that I'm not a doctor, so I don't really know anything about Lucas's heart condition. I'm using the information I got off the show. Sorry if it's not accurate :)**

 **Remember to Review!**


	19. What Is And What Could Be?

**Wow! Thanks for all the reviews! I'm so excited for where this story is headed, and I can't wait for you guys to read about what I've come up with. You can always ask me questions or give me suggestions. I'm most responsive on my tumblr or twitter page. (Links in bio)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

"Hey Millicent" Brooke exclaimed, coming out of her back office. It was a typical Tuesday, so Brooke was at the store with Millie. She came out to the front, seeing that there were a few customers in the store. Smiling at them, she went over to Millie; who was behind the desk. "Hey did you send the—"

"Send the latest designs for the upcoming line that you gave me, insisting they arrive in New York no later than Wednesday" Millicent finished, "Yes, I did; and they already responded back say that they want to set up a conference call for Friday"

Brooke smiled, she didn't know what she'd do without Millicent. "Thanks Millie"

"Anytime Brooke" she said, then she reached under the counter and pulled out a stack of paperwork. "I also looked up some catering services and venues in Tree Hill for Isabella's birthday party"

"Millie" Brooke exclaimed surprised, "You didn't have too"

"I know, but I've known you and Isabella for five years, and I've always helped you plan her birthday parties" she explained, handing her the papers. Brooke smiled, taking the papers. "Thank you"

"You're welcome—"She paused, "Um, I hear something ringing" she said. Brooke stopped, listening for the sound. "That's my phone" she stated, turning around and hurrying towards her office. She opened the door and went into her office; quickly grabbing the phone off her desk, she looked at the caller ID. _Lucas Scott_. "Hello" she said, answering the phone.

"Hey Brooke" he said on the other line.

"Hey"

"Um, are you picking up Bella from school or do you want me to?" he asked. It was now typical for them to alternate picking up Isabella up from school, usually it would go with the new custody situation but sometimes it would just depend on their daily schedule. Brooke looked down at her watch, "Could you?" she asked, "I'm meeting Haley and Peyton for lunch and I don't think I'll be done in time"

"Yeah that's fine, I'll bring her back after dinner. But um-"he paused "About tomorrow…" He started to say.

"I know" she sighed with mixture of worry and fear in her voice. Tomorrow was the day of Isabella's doctor's appointment to see if she had Lucas's heart condition. Both she and Lucas had been worried out of their minds the last week, and were thankful that they got her in to see the pediatric heart doctor so quickly.

"I'm scared, Luke" she admitted.

"I know, I am too" he said quietly.

Brooke sat down in her chair. "What if she has it?"

"Then we'll get her medication and have her see the best specialist." He responded. "She'll be fine Brooke"

"Yeah, I hope so" she mumbled. She was terrified for her baby girl, knowing how dangerous this heart condition could be. She knew that Lucas had already suffered a heart attack from it.

"What time is the appointment?" he asked.

"Early" she answered with a sigh, "It's at nine, so I'll probably have to leave around six"

"Yeah, I'll leave at that time too." He agreed. The heart doctor was in Charlotte, so it was a couple hours away. Both Brooke and Lucas had decided to go to Bella's appointment. It wasn't the easiest decision, given their current relationship status, but they decided to push their issues aside because they _both_ wanted to be there for their daughter.

"But good luck getting Bella up" he added, laughing. Brooke laughed too, their daughter was definitely not an early bird. It was a struggle to get her up most mornings. "Thanks, I'll need it dealing with her"

"Alright, I'll see you later; probably around six"

"Ok"

"Bye Brooke"

"Bye" she said, hanging up the phone.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke and Haley were at a café, sitting at a table and waiting for Peyton to arrive. They both looked up when they saw Peyton walking towards them. "Well, well, well" Brooke exclaimed, when Peyton was at the table. "I haven't seen your scrawny ass in a while" she smiled. It had been officially a month since Peyton had moved out.

Peyton narrowed her eyes at her, "Funny" she said, sitting down. "Sorry I'm late; I was on the phone with this new agent I've been working with." she apologized. Haley motioned her hand, "Its fine, Peyton" she said.

Brooke took a sip of her iced tea, "So Peyton, how is life with the Jagielski's?"

"Great" she smiled, "Everything is awesome. I'm finally settled in and think I've painted every room in the house but Jenny's room; I'm doing that this weekend"

"Go P. Sawyer in taking on the mom role" Brooke cheered.

"I think it's wonderful what you're doing for Jenny" Haley said.

"Thank you guys" she smiled, then looked down at the menu. "So I am just about starving. What are you guys going to get?"

"I don't know" Brooke said, opened her menu, "I might get—"she stopped talking because at that moment, a waiter went by the table and she caught a whiff of the food on the tray; which happened to be steak. She suddenly had nausea overcome her. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed disgustedly, putting her hand over her mouth. She quickly got up, running out of the room. Haley and Peyton looked at each other, not knowing what just happened. "Is she okay?" Peyton questioned.

"I don't know" she answered, getting up. "I'm gonna go check"

"Yeah, I'll come with you" Peyton said, getting up too. They walked out of the room, going to the restrooms. Haley opened the door, and they both went inside. They could hear Brooke emptying her stomach contents in one of the stalls. "Brooke, are you ok?" Haley asked concerned. After a few moments, she heard a mumbled "Yeah"

Haley and Peyton stood by the sinks and after a few minutes, Brooke came out of the stall. "You don't look good" Haley noticed, rushing to her side.

"Haley I'm fine, it was just a little nausea"

"Brooke, you threw up" she voiced. Peyton nodded her head, "Yeah, what happened?"

"Um, I don't know what came over me. The smell of that steak—"She wrinkled her nose, and gave a little shiver, "Ugh! The last time I got sick from meat and stuff was when I was pregnant with Bella"

"Well it's not like you're pregnant again" Peyton laughed. Brooke's face dropped, "Oh no!"

Peyton raised her eyebrows, "Oh no what?" Brooke began to pace the room, starting to ramble "I thought it was due to the stress of my mother because God knows what she's like, then the press finding out about Isabella and having to go to New York…"

"Brooke, what are you talking about?" Haley questioned, but Brooke continued "…or the fact that Lucas and I broke up, and the stress of having to co-parent; and lately I've been so nauseous and tired but didn't think anything of it—"

"BROOKE!" Haley exclaimed, stopping her "What's going on?"

Brooke looked at them and took a deep breath, "I'm two months late" she revealed. Peyton's jaw dropped, and Haley looked shocked. "You're pregnant?"

Brooke nodded her head, "Yeah, I think so"

"But how? I mean, I know how but aren't you on the pill?" she questioned. Brooke shook her head, "No, I haven't been on birth control since high school"

Peyton looked at her questioningly, "Didn't you guys use protection?"

"Yeah, we were careful and always used protection, we never—"she paused, remembering what happened between her and Lucas one night, two months ago; before they had broken up. "Oh no!" she gulped.

 _-Flashback-_

 _As make-out session intensified, Brooke moved so that she was straddling Lucas. His hands which had started on her waist; were working their way up her shirt. He lightly cupped her chest and when they both got to the point where they were panting, Brooke abruptly got up. "Wait! Where are you going?" Lucas asked, confused as to the why she got up._

 _"_ _Come on Pretty boy" she said seductively, now standing at her bedroom door. "We have a deal to keep, remember". Lucas cocked his eyebrow at this, and grinned as he got up; following Brooke into the bedroom. Once the door had shut, their lips locked, as they made their way to the bed. Brooke quickly fell onto the bed, as Lucas laid on top of her._

 _They made out for a few minutes, then Lucas sat up and removed his shirt. When he leaned back down to her, Brooke grabbed the back of his neck; fiercely kissing him._

 _"_ _You have protection, right?" he mumbled as he was buried in her neck. "Yeah" she said, quickly rolling over to her nightstand. Opening it, she discovered that the box was empty. "Damn it, I don't have any" she revealed, turning back over to him. Lucas stopped kissing her neck, and a little pout formed on his face; he wanted her tonight._

 _And Brooke wanted him just as much. She gave a little shrug of her shoulders, giving him a look that clearly said 'I don't care'._

 _"_ _What are the odds of us getting pregnant anyways" He stated more than questioned, as they began kissing again._

 _-Flashback End-_

Brooke rubbed her temples, frustrated. "Damn it! I can't believe I'm pregnant again"

"Well Brooke, you don't know that" Peyton said. "Yeah, the only way to know for sure is to take a pregnancy test" Haley added.

"Do you have one?" She asked hopefully.

"No I don't" Haley answered, "but I can go get one"

Brooke shook her head, "No, I don't want to ruin our lunch"

"Brooke, its fine. I'll go get the test, and we can all meet back up at your house" Haley said, then looked at Peyton. "Yeah, it's fine" Peyton agreed.

"But you just said that you were starving"

"I think finding out if you're pregnant, is more important than my stomach" She laughed, "Now come on, let's get out of her and find out if having another kid"

Brooke gave them a nervous smile. What if she was pregnant again? Being a single mom to one kid was hard enough, how would she be a mom to two?

-Caught Between Two Love's-

Lucas and Isabella were walking on the pier, Bella having an ice cream cone in her hand. Lucas had decided to take his daughter out for a special treat, since tomorrow would be a wearing day. Isabella hated going to the doctor in general, so it made it even more stressful.

"So are you excited to start basketball?" Lucas asked Bella. He was trying to keep her, and partly his mind off the impending appointment.

"Yeah" she sighed sadly. Lucas stopped and looked down at his daughter; seeing her sad little face. "What's wrong baby girl?" he asked.

"Daddy, do we _have_ to go to tomorrow?" she questioned. Lucas gave her a sad smile, "Yeah baby, we have too"

"But I'm not sick, I don't need to go to the doctors"

"It's not that—"he stopped, trying to think about how to explain it to her. "Here, let's sit down" he said gesturing towards a table on the pier. Lucas lifted her up, and placed her on the chair; while Bella tried to manage her cone. After she was situated, Lucas went and sat down on the other side.

"Bella, the reason why we have to go to the doctors is that we need to make sure that your heart isn't sick" he said.

Isabella furrowed her brow. "My heart isn't sick" she stated. Lucas looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "But it might be princess. You see, my heart is sick; you're Grandpa Dan's heart is sick too."

"Did you get it from your daddy?" she asked, taking a bite from her ice cream cone.

Lucas nodded his head, "Yeah, I got it from him; and that's why we have to see if you got it from me"

Isabella was quiet for a few minutes. Lucas could tell that she was thinking about all of it. She looked at her daddy with sad eyes. "Is your heart still sick, Daddy?"

"Not right now" he answered, "Because I take medicine for it"

"Will I have to take medicine too?"

"Well, you might have too princess"

"Yuck!" she said indignantly, "I hate medicine"

"It's not that bad" he reasoned, then smiled when Isabella raised her eyebrows at him; looking very much like her mother. "It's not the end of the world" he smirked, "But do you understand why we have to go tomorrow?"

Isabella sighed, along with pouting. "I still don't want to go?" she stated with a slight hint of whine in her voice. Lucas laughed, his daughter was persistent. So he decided to take a page out of the parenting handbook. "Alright Isabella, I'll make you a deal; if you go tomorrow and are good at the doctors, then I will buy that pink basketball you wanted"

"The one at the store?" she squealed, her face lighting up with excitement. Lucas nodded his head, "Yep"

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow" she agreed happily. Lucas smiled; bribery always worked with his kid. He sat there for a few minutes while Bella finished her ice cream cone. When she finished, Lucas chuckled, seeing that she had most of the ice cream on her face. Smiling, he got up and went over to the other side of the bench. He grabbed a napkin and starting cleaning her face. "Daddy!" Bella protested, turning her head.

"Peanut, you have it all over your face" he reasoned, continuing to try and clean his five year old's face, while she was squirming.

"Dad, your m'barassing me!" She pouted, "Let me do it"

"Ok miss independent" he smirked, handing her the napkin. Bella took it and wiped the napkin across her face; cleaning not even half of the ice cream. "There daddy" she handed it back to him. Lucas chuckled and decided to let her be, knowing that he had wet wipes in the car. "You ready to go?" he asked.

"Where are we going?"

"We're gonna go to my house to have dinner, then I'll take you back to mommy's house" he explained. "Ok" she said, getting up from the bench. They started walking, and when Lucas grabbed her hand, Bella quickly drew it away. "Dad!" she exclaimed, "Women don't hold daddy's hands"

"Oh, and you're a woman? Huh?" he asked amused. Bella nodded her head, "Ah huh"

"Oh, ok…well I guess I'll have to do this instead" he smiled, picking her up quickly. "Daddy" she giggled, as she was hanging upside down. "What? You said women don't hold hands; you didn't say anything about being upside down" he laughed, and Isabella laughed too as he continued walking down the pier.

-Caught Between Two Love's-

"How long do I have to wait?" Brooke asked when she finally emerged from the bathroom. She was now at her house with Haley and Peyton. They had stopped on the way to pick up some pregnancy test. The entire drive home, Brooke was freaking out; wondering if she was pregnant again.

"Um—"Haley looked at the box, "It says two minutes"

Brooke slumped against the counter, "This is gonna be the longest two minutes of my life…aside from the minutes when I took the test and found out I was pregnant with Bella…and those hours in labor really sucked too" she complained.

Haley and Peyton laughed at her complaining. "How was your labor with Bella?" Haley asked.

"Awful" she stated, "I had the worst doctor ever because I went into labor when I was in LA; my mom and I were out there to talk to my dad about some kind of business deal…Anyways, I was in labor for nine _excruciating_ hours, and by the time I had her, which was at three in the morning; I wanted to strangle my doctors and nurse"

"Ouch!" Peyton commented. Brooke nodded her head, "Ah yeah"

"Was anyone with you?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, my mom and dad were both there. They were in the waiting room and came in when I finally had her. My mother was the first one of my parents to hold her. She was excited; which was weird since my entire pregnancy she tried to guilt me into placing her up for adoption" she recounted. Haley and Peyton weren't surprised by this revelation, they knew how Victoria was.

"It was so strange, I saw some emotions I had never seen in my mom that day"

"Happiness and love" Peyton quipped. Brooke laughed, "Yeah pretty much, and then the next day it was back to bitchtoria again"

"Well that sounds like your mom" Haley commented, then looked down at her watch, "Oh Brooke, it's been two minutes"

Brooke took a deep breath, scared to look the results; to know if she was going to have another baby with Lucas. Part of her would love to have another child, because her daughter brought so much joy and happiness in her life; but another part of her wanted the test to be negative, knowing how hard it would be to have another child with him. "I can't look at it, Hales can you?" she begged.

"Yeah" Haley agreed, getting up and going into the bathroom. A few seconds later she came out, holding the little white stick. She looked up from the pregnancy test, looking directly at Brooke. "Brooke, it's…"

 **Is Brooke pregnant? Remember to review?**


	20. Unexpected Results

**I'm just going to say this, I'm not a doctor so I don't know everything about heart conditions or medical terminology and stuff. Sorry if it's not accurate, I tried my best with this chapter.**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just Isabella Davis**

Opening her eyes the next morning, Brooke still felt tired and exhausted. She had a restless night sleep due to yesterday's events. Sitting up in her bed, she sighed, today was the day they were going to find out if Isabella had HCM; finding out if she lucked out on her genetics and had inherited the heart condition. Brooke knew the odds; Bella had a fifty percent chance of having it, and that scared her.

Pulling back the covers, Brooke got out of bed; she had decided to get ready first, wanting Bella to sleep for as long as possible because she didn't go to bed till way past her usual bedtime. For some reason or another, Isabella had been difficult for her after Lucas dropped her off. Bella wasn't listening to her and wouldn't go up to bed when she told her too. So after Brooke made a few threats, her daughter finally listened and went upstairs to bed.

When Brooke went into bathroom and stood in the reflection of the mirror, her eyes could only focus on one thing; her stomach. Looking down at her belly, her thoughts drifting back to yesterday afternoon and what an emotional day it was.

 _~Flashback~_

 _Brooke took a deep breath, scared to see the results; to know if she was going to have another baby with Lucas. Part of her would love to have another child because her daughter brought so much joy and happiness in her life; but another part of her wanted the test to be negative, knowing how hard it would be to have another child with him. "I can't look at it, Hales can you?" she begged._

 _"_ _Yeah" Haley agreed, getting up and going into the bathroom. A few seconds later she came out, holding the little white stick. She looked up from the pregnancy test, looking directly at Brooke. "Brooke, it's positive"_

 _Brooke's jaw dropped, "Its positive"_

 _Haley nodded her head and starting walking towards her. "You're pregnant" she handed her the test. Brooke looked down and saw two bright pink strips. "Oh My God!" she gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. Those two strips confirmed her suspicions, revealing that once again, she was having a baby with Lucas._

 _"_ _Brooke, are you okay with this?" Peyton asked._

 _Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know" she mumbled. She then walked over to the living room and fell back into the chair. Reality was hitting her. She was pregnant. Brooke didn't know what kind of emotion to have. Should she feel happy, sad, ecstatic, terrified? She had such conflicting emotions._

 _She was a mom again._

 _With Lucas's child._

 _~Flashback End~_

Brooke gave a small smile, knowing that there was a baby inside her. Of course she was going to love this new little life and would be the best mom she could be. It was somewhat exciting to think about a new baby.

But she was also conflicted with emotion. This baby couldn't have come at a worse time. She and Lucas had only been broken up for two months, and she was still hurt by him and how their relationship ended. They really hadn't talked about it either, besides from the one night he had come over and explained the situation with her. Brooke tried to become numb to the pain of the breakup, instead focusing her time into her work and her daughter.

And that was another thing, she and Lucas were still new to the co-parenting thing and they were both trying to figure out how to make it work so they could be on the same page when they parented Bella. It was a whole new experience for Brooke because the last five years, she was the one calling all the shots. So now that she had Lucas, they _both_ had to agree on things for their daughter.

So after Brooke got herself showered and dressed for the day, she walked up the stairs to Isabella room. Opening the door, walked over to her bed, Brooke saw that Isabella was hidden underneath the mountain of blankets and stuffed animals. Pulling back the blanket, she gently shook her daughter. "Baby, come on. It's time to get up" she said. Isabella stirred a little, mumbling "No mommy"

"Yeah Bella, you have to get up"

"No"

Brooke rolled her eyes, her daughter definitely wasn't a morning person. She lifted Bella up, so that she was sitting right beside her. "Come on peanut, you have a doctor's appointment" she said. Bella rubbed her eyes, "I'm tired"

"I know, but you can sleep in the car" she said, "Alright, why don't you go brush your teeth and get dressed, I got you some clothes right here" She patted the pile at the end of the bed.

Isabella sleepily nodded her head, "Ok momma" she yawned.

"That's my girl" Brooke kissed the top of her head. "Ok, I'm gonna go down and get you some breakfast" she stood up, exiting the room and going down the stairs.

A few minutes later, as Brooke was in the kitchen fixing a bowl of cereal, she heard little footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking up, she saw her daughter; still in her pajamas. "Baby Davis, why aren't you dressed yet?" she asked, as Isabella walked down the stairs.

"I don't wanna wear that!" Bella whined.

"The outfit I picked out for you?"

"I'm not wearing it" she stated.

Brooke stopped pouring cereal and looked at her five year old. She could already tell what kind of mood she was in, and could only hope that she would snap out of it by the time they arrived at the doctors.

Brooke glanced over at the clock, noticing that they had to leave within the next twenty minutes. "Ok, then go pick out something else to wear. But hurry up, we have to leave soon"

"I want you to help me" she whined.

"Ok, let's go up and find something then" Brooke said. _'Here comes round two'_ she thought, leaving the bowl on the counter and going up the stairs with Bella. Arriving in her daughter's room, she saw that the outfit she had picked, was on the floor. "Isabella, what's wrong with this outfit?" she asked, picking it up.

"I hate it" she pouted.

"Don't say hate" Brooke reprimanded, raising her eyebrow to her daughter. Isabella sat down on the floor, crossing her arms with a pout on her face. Brooke could tell that she was tired from the lack of sleep; making her cranky. So instead of fighting with her, Brooke tried to go the easier route. Going over to the dresser, she pulled out a t-shirt and pair of jeans. Turning around, she suggested "What about this?"

Isabella shook her head, "No"

Rolling her eyes, she pulled out a different outfit. "Ok, do you like this one?" she asked, and again Bella shook her head. Starting to lose her patience, Brooke asked point-blank, "Bella, what do you want to wear then?"

"I wanna wear that" she whined, pointing to the closet. Brooke looked to where she was pointing, seeing a princess dress hanging up. "Isabella, you're not wearing your princess dress to the doctors"

"Then I want to wear my basketball shorts" she argued.

"No, you're not wearing those either"

"But I wanna wear them!" she said stubbornly.

 _"_ _Yeah, so much happiness and joy"_ she thought sarcastically. Her daughter could be so stubborn and difficult; much like she was at this age. Looking down at her stomach, Brooke realized that she was going to have two of them. _Two children._ She was going to have to go through the stages of infancy and toddler hood again. How was she going to handle two children, if right now she couldn't handle her one?

Taking control of the situation, Brooke looked at Isabella with a fierce look "Isabella, you can either wear this" she held up the one outfit, "Or this" She stated firmly, holding up the other; her patience was long gone.

"NO!" Bella yelled, along with kicking her feet; getting into full tantrum mode. Brooke knew that Bella was tired, but hell would freeze over before she let her daughter act like this.

"Isabella Karen Davis!" She warned in a tone not to be messed with, "Stop acting like this right now or you can go march your little bottom downstairs and sit in a time out"

Bella's tantrum immediately stopped. "I don't wanna timeout" She whined.

Brooke bent down to her level. "Then put these clothes on. Understand?" she held out the outfit, waiting for Isabella to respond. Bella was quiet for a few seconds, before saying with attitude, "Fine!"

"Thank you" she exclaimed loudly, "Now I want you to get dressed, then come downstairs and have some breakfast" she instructed, standing up. She didn't wait for her five year old to reply, but instead she just turned around and walked out of the room.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke put the car in park and shut off the ignition. Looking at the building in front of her, she felt a deep feeling of fear in the pit of her stomach. She had been trying not to worry the entire drive, but as she got closer and closer to the doctor's office; the feeling got stronger in her stomach. Brooke felt so overwhelmed, not only with worrying about her daughter's health, but now the emotions that came with finding out she was pregnant.

Looking in her rearview mirror, she looked at her daughter. The car ride had been trying, given Bella's crankiness; but thankfully she had fallen asleep the last forty-five minutes of the drive. Brooke cringed when she thought about waking her up. She hoped to God that Bella wasn't in the same mood as she was that morning because she definitely didn't want to deal with another tantrum.

Turning her head to the passanger side window, she saw Lucas leaning, his back against his car. By chance, the only available parking spot was right next to his car, so she parked next to him. Getting out of the car, she walked around to the other side. "Hi Luke" she said, giving him a small smile. It felt different to her, seeing him. Maybe it was now because she was pregnant again with his child and like before, he didn't even know about it. Of course she would tell him eventually but she wanted to go to the doctors first, making sure that she was definitely pregnant; though in her heart, she knew she was.

"Hey" he greeted, pushing himself of the car.

"Bella's sleeping" she said, opening the car door, "She slept a little on the way here, thank god" she muttered the last part. Lucas gave her a questioning look. "Isabella was a little cranky this morning" she explained.

"Oh" he gasped. Lucas knew how difficult their daughter could be if she was crabby.

Brooke made a face, "Yeah" she turned to her sleeping daughter in the car. "Baby, wake up. We're here at the doctors" She said, unbuckling the car-seat. Bella stretched, looking around; still in a sleepy daze. "We're here, mommy?"

"Yeah, and look who's here" she moved a little, allowing Lucas to be in the view of Bella.

"Daddy!" Bella exclaimed, smiling. Brooke breathed a sigh of relief, so far her daughter seemed to be in a better mood. What a wonderful thing that sleep was! She gently grabbed Bella, lifting her out of the car.

Isabella walked over to Lucas as he crouched down, "Hey peanut" he said, giving his daughter a hug. When he released his arms, he looked at her, smirking "So I heard mommy say that you were a little cranky this morning"

"I was not!" she said indignantly. Both parents laughed, seeing the look on her face. Standing up, Lucas looked at Brooke. "You ready for this?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I guess so" she answered.

So Isabella held onto Lucas's hand and Brooke was on the other side of her, as they made their way across the parking lot. As they neared the building, Bella clung tighter to Lucas and by the time they were at the door; Bella was clinging to his leg.

Lucas stopped walking, "Baby girl"

"Bella, what's wrong?" Brooke asked.

"I don't wanna go in" she whined. Both parents knew that it wasn't her regular whine, but more of the fact that she was scared. Lucas looked down to Bella. "Princess, we talked about this. Remember?"

"I still don't want to go in, daddy"

"Bella, we have too" he said. Isabella looked up at her daddy with big sad eyes. "Carry me, Daddy" she whined, holding her arms up to him. Lucas reached down and picked her up, Bella immediately wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Is that better, peanut?" he asked. Bella nodded her head, still clinging to him. Lucas looked at Brooke, and then they both continued walking into the building. It was a huge building; one of the biggest cardiovascular clinics in North Carolina, and the best for pediatric patients. Both Lucas and Brooke wanted to get Isabella in to see the best.

No one spoke a word as they rode the elevator up to the fifth floor. Both Lucas and Brooke were too consumed worrying about their daughter. Lucas was especially worried. He knew what the heart condition entailed. He had already suffered a heart attack from it, and knew that Dan had had multiple heart attacks.

The elevator dinged as they reached the floor. They stepped out and began walking down the hallway. Following the signs that lead to pediatrics, they opened the door and stepped into the waiting room. It was definitely a pediatric waiting room with the bright colored walls and tables that had toys on them. There were a few families in the room but for the most part it was quiet.

"I'm gonna go check her in" Brooke said, motioning towards the receptionist.

"Ok, we'll go sit down" he said. He went over and sat in one of the chairs, with Bella still in his arms. He knew that she was scared since she had clung tighter and tighter to him their journey up to the waiting room.

"Daddy, I'm scared" Isabella admitted quietly.

"Bella, why are you scared?"

"Cause' were at the doctors and I don't like them" she stated as Brooke came walking over to them. Sitting down beside Lucas, she said "She's all checked in. The nurse told me that we're meeting to talk with the doctor first before her tests"

"See baby, we're gonna talk to the doctor first" Lucas reassured to Isabella. Brooke looked at Lucas questioningly. _'_ Scared' he mouthed to her.

"Bella, there's nothing to be scared of" she reassured. "Yeah, you have me and mommy right here" Lucas added.

"Ok" Bella whispered.

"Hey, do you want to play with those toys over there?" Lucas said, trying to take her mind off it. Isabella shook her head, "Na huh. I wanna stay with you"

Brooke looked over at her and smiled. Bella was definitely being a daddy's girl today.

"Isabella Davis". Both parents looked up and saw a nurse standing at the one doorway. "Wow, that was quick" Brooke remarked.

"Yeah it was" Lucas said, standing up and trying to put Bella to her feet; but she had her arms locked around her daddy's neck, hanging onto him. "Daddy, hold me"

"Ok, ok" He picked her back up. Walking beside Brooke, he followed the nurse down the hallway.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

"Daddy, when's the doctor coming?" Isabella asked, looking up at him since she was sitting on his lap. They were all sitting in the doctor's private office, waiting for the doctor who seemed to be running late.

Lucas tilted his head down at her. "Soon princess" he answered, then looked over at Brooke. She was bouncing her knee up and down nervously, having the total look of worry on her face. "Brooke" he said, gently placing his hand on her knee. "It's going to be fine"

"You don't kno-" she stopped, seeing that Bella was looking at her. "What's wrong mommy?" Isabella asked.

"Nothing baby" she lied, giving her a fake smile. At that moment the door opened, and the doctor came into the room. "Hi, sorry if I kept you waiting. I'm Dr. Copeland" he introduced, "You must be Brooke Davis"

"Mm-hmm" She nodded, shaking his hand.

"Clothes right?"

"Yes" she smiled.

"I thought you looked familiar" Dr. Copeland said as he walked behind his desk. "You must be Lucas Scott?"

"Yeah" he shook his hand.

Dr. Copeland sat in his chair and put the files he was carrying on his desk. "And you must be Isabella" He smiled. Bella nodded her head, still snuggled into her daddy's chest. "So how are you feeling, Isabella?" He asked.

"Good, but my daddy says my heart might be sick" she answered. Both Lucas and Brooke smiled at her answer.

"Well that's what we're going to find out today" he stated, opening up the files on his desk, "So I looking through these medical records and I see it was mentioned that you, Lucas, have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy"

"Ah, yes"

"Hmm" Dr. Copeland continued looking at the files for a few moments, then he looked up to them. "So what we're going to do today is run a series of tests, being that genetically because you have HCM" he indicated towards Lucas, "Isabella could have the heart condition as well"

"What tests are you going to do?" Lucas asked. Though he had gone through some testing before but he didn't know if it was different for a child.

"A few different one; we'll do a physical exam along with a chest x-ray, a couple of bloods test, and an echocardiogram. That will give me all the information I need to find out is she has HCM" he answered.

"And if Bella does have it?" Brooke questioned.

"If an official diagnosis is made, we will look at the complexity of the heart condition; checking to see if it's mild or severe. Based upon that, then we can get her on a treatment plan"

Brooke swallowed hard, "Will she need surgery?" she asked, hoping that the answer would be no.

"It is a possibility, but typically most cases can be treated with different medication" He explained. Isabella made a face, "Yuck, I don't like medicine!" she said. Everyone in the room smiled at her. "Well that's why we're going to hope that you don't need medicine" Dr. Copeland smiled. He grabbed a piece of paper off his desk and handed it to Brooke. "Here is the schedule for all of Isabella's appointments that my nurse scheduled today"

Brooke looked it over as Lucas leaned over in his chair and glanced at him. "So when will you know if Bella has HCM?" He asked.

"If all the tests come back on time, I should know by this afternoon. I'll have you guys come back here and we can discuss the results" he said. Lucas and Brooke nodded their head simultaneously in agreement. "I just want to let you know that whatever the results are, it's going to be okay" he reassured.

Brooke, who had tears forming in her eyes, smiled at him.

Dr. Copeland smiled back. "So do you have any other questions for me?"

"None that I can think of" Lucas answered, looking over at Brooke. She shook her head, "No".

"Alright" Dr. Copeland stood up, "Then I will see guys back here this afternoon" he started walking to the door. Brooke got up and Lucas did too, while he was still holding Bella. Dr. Copeland opened the door for them. "Thank you" they said as they made their way out of the office.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

There they sat in the waiting room, Brooke and Lucas each beside of their daughter. They had already had her exam, along with the echocardiogram and chest x-rays. They were just waiting for the last appointment which was bloodwork. But since Bella's appointments were all spaced out, they had time in-between each one, much to the displeasure of Lucas and Brooke; it was never a fun experience waiting with a five year old.

Bella, who had been quietly playing on her DS, suddenly put it down and looked at Brooke. "Mommy" she whined, "I'm hungry"

Brooke looked at her phone, and saw that it was past lunch time. "I know baby, I'm sorry but we only have about twenty minutes till your next appointment. It's the last one, after that we'll get some lunch"

"But mom, I'm hungry now"

"Well, I have some snacks in my purse" Brooke offered, starting to dig through her purse.

"No, I don't wanna snack" she snapped. Both parents looked at her surprised. They could tell that she was getting tired from appointments and then on top of that, all the waiting; making her irritable. "Your right, she is crabby" Lucas said quietly to Brooke. "Yeah, ah-huh" she muttered, then turned to Bella "Well then Bella, you're going to have to wait"

"But I don't want to wait!" she complained, twisting in her chair so that she was half on the chair and half on the ground. "Isabella" Lucas reprimanded as he pulled her up and righted her in the chair.

Bella scowled and crossed her arms, "Why do we have to wait here?"

"Because we're waiting for another test" Brooke explained, deliberately leaving out the fact that the next test was blood work. Bella, like most five year olds, hated needles and with her current mood; it would set her off.

Isabella huffed, "I hate waiting"

"Isabella" Brooke said sternly, causing her daughter to look up at her. Brooke glared at her, giving her a look that clearly said 'Watch it', her patience was once again, running thin with her five year old. Isabella looked away from her, instead looking straight ahead. Then emphasizing her unhappiness, she stretched in the chair to stomped her foot on the floor.

"Isabella, stop it" Lucas scolded.

"NO!" she exclaimed, kicking her chair this time. Some of the other people in the waiting room were starting to turn and stare at them; making Brooke turn red from embarrassment. "Isabella Karen" Lucas warned quietly with a stern look on his face, "Stop kicking and behave right now or I'll take you out of this waiting room and put you in a timeout"

"I don't care" she stated loudly, kicking the chair once again in defiance. Brooke and Lucas looked at each other, both realizing what needed to be done. Standing up, Lucas reached down and picked Bella up. "Daddy, no!" she cried. But Lucas ignored her as he carried her out of the waiting room.

He carried her through the hallways of the clinic, looking for somewhere to talk with his daughter. He suddenly stopped when he came upon a private family waiting room. After shutting the door, he carried her over to a chair, sat her in it and then crouched down in front of her. He saw that Bella was crying with a pout on her face. Though he was frustrated with her behavior, he had to take into account that she was tired and in desperate need of a nap.

"Isabella, what has gotten into you?" He asked sternly.

Bella rubbed her eyes, looking down at the ground. "Dad, I'm don't wanna wait anymore"

"I know, I don't either. But we have too." Lucas explained, then he placed his finger under Bella's chin, making her look up at him. "But that doesn't mean you can be naughty. Are you supposed to act like that?"

Bella didn't respond, instead she folded her arms in protest.

"Isabella" he demanded.

"No!" Bella shouted. Lucas squinted his eyes at her, "You know, you're not going to get you basketball for behaving like this" he warned, using his previous bribery against her in this situation.

Bella gave him an indignant look, "But Daddy, you said I'd get my basketball if I went to the doctors" she pouted.

"No Bella, I said that if you were good at the doctors, then I'd get you that basketball" he explained. Isabella looked back at the ground again.

"And have you been good?" he asked.

"I've tried!" she defended.

"By having a tantrum, you were kicking and screaming in that waiting room. Is that being good?"

Bella looked up at him, tears starting to form in her blue eyes. "No daddy" She sniffed. It broke his heart starting to see his daughter cry, he hated having to be the 'mean' dad sometimes. But it was his job to teach her right from wrong, to raise her to be a good person.

"I'm s-sorry da-daddy" she cried, reaching out and giving him a hug. Lucas lost all will to keep disciplining her, instead he wrapped his arms around, stood up, and while still holding her; he sat down in the chair and held her in his lap. "Shh, peanut, it's ok" he soothed, rubbing his hand soothingly across her back.

After a few minutes, he noticed that she had calmed down and stopped crying but still had tears on her face. Taking a Kleenex out of his pocket, he wiped the tears away, saying gently "Oh, Baby girl, you're tired".

"I'm not tired!" she protested while rubbing her eye with her balled up fist. Chuckling, he patted her bottom. "Yeah, sure you're not" he smirked. Bella snuggled into his chest, and he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Are you ready to go back to mommy?" he asked. He felt Bella nod her head.

"Ok, let's go" he stood up, still holding her. Leaving the room, he went down and hallway and back to the waiting room. Brooke looked up, seeing them walking over to her. "Hey" she said, as Lucas sat down beside her.

"Mommy" Bella held her little arms out to her mama. Brooke grabbed her, and pulled her onto her lap. "Hey baby" she gave her a kiss on the head, as Bella laid her head on her shoulder. Brooke looked over at Lucas and smiled. As much as she was angry with him for everything that went down in their breakup, she was happy that she wasn't the only parent to Bella. She had someone else who had to be the bad cop once in a while and it was a nice alternative for her.

 _-Caught Between Two Love's-_

Brooke hit the level 5 button as the elevator doors closed. She and Lucas were on way back from lunch, with Isabella sleeping in Lucas's arm. Bella had had a tough time with the last appointment. She was already emotional from her tantrum, so when she saw the needle, she had a fit and the tears came out again. Lucas held her on his lap, and thankfully the nurse was used to dealing with children, so she was quick with Bella. Isabella cried into her daddy's shoulder for a few minutes, but after a couple stickers she finally calmed down.

After they were done with that, they went to a restaurant in Charlotte. Bella had put up a good fight to stay awake during lunch, but by the time they made it back to the building, she was sound asleep.

"Thank God she's asleep" Brooke said, looking at Bella sleeping peacefully on Lucas's shoulder. "It's amazing the little hellion she can be when she's tired" she remarked.

Lucas smirked, "Yeah, she's just like her mom"

"Whatever!" she playfully punched his shoulder, "I'm not like that"

"You are too. She's the spitting image of you, Brooke"

"Luke, she looks like you too"

"I'm talking personality wise?"

"Oh, well then she is" Brooke admitted, "But I'm not like that!"

"You are too" he laughed. The elevator doors opened up. "Am not" she defended as they walked out. They were walking down the hallway, when suddenly she stopped, feeling nauseous. She had felt nauseous during lunch but fought through it, not wanting to get sick because then Lucas would question it. Walking over and leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes tightly; trying to fight the feeling of disgust.

Lucas quickly went to her side, "Brooke, you ok?"

"Yeah" she muttered, "I'm just feeling a little nauseous"

"Are you sick?" he asked, noticing that she looked a little pale.

"Uh no, I think I ate something at the restaurant that didn't agree with me" she lied. There was no way she was telling him that it was morning sickness because then she'd have to tell him that she was pregnant and that he was going to be a father again!

As the wave passed over her, she stood up straighter. "I'm good now" she said, giving him a weak smile. "Ok" he said unconvinced, and as they started walking again, he put his arm on her shoulder.

They walked back to the waiting room, and went up to the receptionists' desk. The nurse looked up at them, "Name?" she asked.

"Isabella Davis" Brooke answered, "We're back from all the appointments"

"You're seeing Dr. Copeland, right?"

"Um, yeah"

"Ok" the nurse got up from her chair, "He put it in the system that he can actually see you right now." She explained. "Oh wow" Lucas commented.

"If you'll come with me" she instructed, opening the door to the hallway. They followed her down the narrow hallway, all the while Brooke was caught with emotion. It was all so sudden, it seemed. They were finally going to find out if Isabella had HCM.

"Dr. Copeland" The nurse said, walking into his office as Lucas and Brooke followed, "I have you're patient Isabella Davis and her parents here"

"Oh yes, come in" he waved them in. "Please, sit down" he offered. Lucas took one chair, as Brooke took the other. Sitting down in the chair, Brooke felt like her heart was beating out of her chest, she was so worried.

"Tired from all the tests, huh?" Dr. Copeland smiled, referring to Isabella sleeping on Lucas's lap.

"Yeah" Lucas smirked.

"So what are the results, does she have it?" Brooke quickly asked. She was so anxious to know the results.

"So we got all the tests results back. Looking at the results of Isabella's physical exam, she's perfectly healthy; her x-rays and echocardiogram, they all came back perfectly normal as well" He revealed, "So the last test we needed to review was her blood work, and those tests came back perfect"

"So that means?" Lucas questioned.

"You have a perfectly healthy child. Isabella doesn't have HCM" Dr. Copeland announced.

Brooke breathed out a breath she didn't know that she was holding in, as relief was washed over her. "Oh thank God" she gasped, almost having tears in her eyes, she was so happy. Her baby girl was fine, Bella was perfectly healthy. It was one less thing to worry about. Glancing down at her stomach, she swallowed hard; thinking about being pregnant again. Looking back up again, Brooke looked at Lucas. She had a million thoughts racing through her head, but the number one thing she kept on thinking was; _how in the world was she going to tell Lucas?_

 **I know this was kind of out of character for Isabella with her being difficult but after all she is five. I really wanted to have some parenting scenes in this chapter with both Lucas and Brooke coming together even though they're broken up.**

 **I'm so excited for what's coming up in Brooke's pregnancy! Please Review :)**


	21. The day I have lived once before

**Wow! Awesome feedback on my previous chapter. Thanks to all my readers, reviewers, and followers. I am so excited to write Brooke's pregnancy. I haven't decided on what she'll have (Boy, girl, twins?) so feel free to give me suggestions, I love getting feedback!**

"I'll be back with your test results"

"Ok, thank you" Brooke said, as the doctor was left the room. She was at the doctors, finding out if she was pregnant.

It felt all so familiar to her, it was like déjà vu; the hospital gown, the exam table, even the room brought back memories. It took her back to a time six years ago, where this almost exact scene had played out. Brooke could remember how scared she'd been. She had already gone through a pregnancy scare before with Lucas, so when the at-home pregnancy test was positive, she thought it was nothing. But when the doctor came in and told her that she was indeed pregnant at eighteen; the weight of the world fell on her shoulders. But in some ways, it was just what she needed. She needed that responsibility, and having a baby definitely forced her to grow up.

All she ever wanted was a family, a good one, but instead she got unreliable parents and had a very lonely childhood. She just wanted a family. So when she had Bella, she got that. She had tried hard over the past six years to the best mom to her daughter. All she wanted was for Isabella to have a loving, stable childhood; something she never got.

Looking down at her stomach, she thought about the baby. In her heart, she knew that she was pregnant; she'd felt this exact way when she was pregnant with Bella. It was like a mother's intuition of knowing when they're pregnant. Now all she was waiting on was the doctor's confirmation.

* * *

Lucas was walking down the hallway of Tree Hill High School, with Bella and Jamie in front of him. He'd picked them both up from school as today was their first basketball practice. But first they were stopping by Haley's classroom. The school was relatively quiet with only a few students in the halls.

Lucas saw that Bella stopped in front of one of the showcases. "Whatcha looking at Bella?" Lucas asked, walking up to her. Looking at the case, he saw it was one dedicated for cheerleaders. "Dad, look" Bella said, pointing to one of the pictures, "That's mom when she was a cheerleader"

Lucas smiled. It was an old picture of Brooke with her cheerleading squad. The picture brought back so many memories for him. It was hard to believe that it had been six years since he and Brooke were in high school together.

"Momma looks so pretty" Isabella commented breathlessly.

"Yeah she does" Lucas agreed.

"Is that my mom?" Jamie asked, looking at the picture.

"Yeah, your mom was a cheerleader too" Lucas answered. He actually made him laugh to think that Haley was a cheerleader; it just so wasn't her.

Bella took a step back from the case. "I can't wait till I'm a cheerleader"

"What! I thought that you wanted to be a basketball player?"

"Dad!" Bella said dramatically, "I'm gonna be a cheerleader when I'm in high school" she explained, "Wait Daddy, how long till I'm in high school?"

"Um, about nine or ten years" he answered. The thought of Isabella being in high school actually scared him a little. It was like he could already envision her at sixteen, and he had a feeling that she was going to be just like her mother; popular and the head-cheerleader. Isabella was so much like Brooke, but he could also see some of himself in her. It was like she was the perfect combination of them.

"I'm so 'cited for high school" Bella shrieked.

"Let's just work on getting you through Kindergarten first" he chuckled. They started to walk down the hallway again as Lucas lead them to Haley's classroom. He knocked on her open door. "Hey Hales"

"Hey guys" she smiled at her son and niece, then looked up to Lucas. "Thanks for picking up Jamie" Haley acknowledge. "Nathan was at Slam-ball practice and I was stuck on detention duty today"

"Oh" he sighed, feeling bad for her.

"Yeah, five delightful students who—Oh!" Haley's eyes widened when she saw her niece. Isabella's hair was a totally mess. "Um, Izzy, who did your hair today?" she asked, trying hard not to laugh. Bella, with a less than impressed look; pointed up at Lucas. "He did it"

Lucas held up his hands. He was good at a lot of things, but styling his daughter's hair was not one of them. He usually didn't have to have Isabella on school mornings, but this morning he did. It was technically his weekend to have Bella, but since her birthday was the next day, Brooke wanted Bella at her house; so Bella had spent the night at his house the previous night.

Haley chuckled, shaking her head as she looked at Luke. "Oh! Of course you did" she laughed. Opening a drawer to her desk, she pulled out a hairbrush, "Come here sweetheart, I'll fix it" she said. Isabella went over and stood in front of her.

"So how do you feel about the whole Slam-ball thing?" Lucas asked.

"Honestly, terrified" she admitted, "I'm just so afraid that he'd going to hurt his b-a-c-k again" she spelled out the last part.

"That spells back" Bella said proudly. Haley smirked, "Thank you Izzy". She should have known that she couldn't get spelling out the word past the two little kids; Isabella and Jamie were extremely smart.

"So did the doctor say anything about it?"

"That he's fine to play, but I'm always going to worry"

"Yeah well, I'm starting to worry about Brooke" Lucas revealed.

Haley gave him a puzzled look, "Brooke. Why?"

"Well, I don't know…she's just been different lately, like she won't talk to me and when we were in Charlotte, Brooke kept saying that she was really nauseous and tired. Do you think she might be sick?"

Haley was silent for a moment, realizing that Brooke must not have told him about the pregnancy. So not wanting to act like she knew something, she said "No I haven't noticed anything"

"Well I just hope she's okay" he said, his voice full of worry.

"I'm sure it's nothing" she lied, then quickly changed the subject. "So I hear someone has a birthday tomorrow"

Isabella smiled. "Ah-huh, and I'm having a party. My mom said that there's going to be a bouncy house and cake and a piñata" she said all in one breath. "She wanted to have a clown, but I don't like them; they're scary."

"Yeah they are" Haley agreed.

"You sure they didn't swap our kids at the hospital" Lucas joked.

"I highly doubt that, Brooke told me that Izzy was born in LA"

"LA" he repeated. Surprisingly he hadn't known where his daughter was born. "She told you that?"

"Yeah" she confirmed, clipping Isabella's the bow in place. "There" she said. Lucas looked at the perfect pony-tail that she created in less than two minutes. "See, now how do you do that?" he asked astonished.

Haley stood up, "Oh, years of practice"

Isabella pulled Lucas's hand, "Daaaddd, can we go to basketball now" she whined impatiently. Lucas smirked, "Yes, come on"

So he and Haley followed Jamie and Bella down the school hallway, leading to the gym. Lucas held open the door, allowing Haley and the kids to go in first.

Arriving in the gym, they saw Skills standing by the bleachers with a few other kids. Immediately Bella and Jamie ran to Skills. "Hey, it's big game James and little B. Davis" Skills greeted.

"Hi Uncle Skills" they both said.

"Hey, what up man" Lucas said, giving him a bro hug, "So where's Junk and Fergie?" he asked, noticing the absence of the two coaches.

Skills started to laugh, "Those two knuckleheads thought this was a paid coaching job."

Lucas starting laughing too. "So what are you the coach now?"

"Yeah" he said, "I figured that I had some time between coaching the high school team, so I'd coach these little kids"

"That's really nice of you, Skills" he acknowledge, as Bella came running up to them. "Uncle Skills?"

"Yes Little B.?"

"Um, when do we get our jerseys?" she asked. Lucas smirked. His daughter had been constantly talking about getting her basketball jersey since he signed her up; she wanted to have one just like her daddy.

"You want your jersey?"

"Yes" she said quickly.

"Well I might have them in this box right here" he pointed to a box on the bleachers. Bella eyes lit up with excitement. He blew his whistle, "Alright team huddle up". Six little kids came running over to him. Besides from Bella and Jamie, there were only five other kids on the team.

"Ok, now we have some jersey's here" Skills started digging through the box. "The first one is for Bella" he said, holding up the jersey. It had _Little B. Davis_ written on the back along with Lucas's old number. "Oh Skills, that's so cute" Haley smiled.

"Man, that's awesome" Lucas commented.

"Yeah. Since they're five, I figured that I'd put nicknames on the back" he explained. Bella gave an outraged face, "Uncle Skills, I'm going to be six tomorrow"

"Oh yeah, you're birthday's tomorrow, right?" Skills asked, acting like he didn't know.

"Yeah" she nodded, "Are you coming to my party? There's going to be a bouncy house and cake"

"Damn, a bouncy house and cake! Count me in"

Lucas bent down, "Come here Bella, I help you put it on" he said. So Bella ran over to him, and he helped her put it on. His daughter couldn't look anymore adorable in her blue jersey.

Isabella smiled, "I look like a real player now, Daddy. I'm a raven just like you were"

"Yeah you are, kid" he smirked. He loved being a dad, and seeing his old number being used and knowing that his daughter wanted to be like him, made him smile.

* * *

Hearing the door open, Brooke looked up; seeing the doctor come in. "I'm back, Ms. Davis"

Brooke gave her a small smile. Her heart was beating fast as the doctor as the doctor took a seat. She had been mentally preparing for this moment for a couple of days; to know that she was for sure having another baby with Lucas.

The doctor looked at Brooke. "So the test came back" the doctor said, starting to smile "Congratulations, you're pregnant"

"Wow, ok" she mumbled, though the news didn't come as a shocker to her, she knew all along. "How far along am I?"

"You look like you're about nine weeks"

"And the baby's fine?" She questioned. The doctor nodded, "Your baby is perfectly healthy from what we can see"

"Ok". She was happy that the baby was healthy.

"Is this your first?" The doctor asked.

"No" Brooke shook her head, "I have a five, almost six year old daughter. Actually her birthday's tomorrow."

"Well, what a nice birthday present for her" The doctor said. Brooke hadn't even thought about what Isabella was going to think of having a little brother or sister. But she wasn't worried about that; back when she and Lucas were dating, Bella had expressed multiple times that she wanted them to have a baby.

At the mention of her daughter, it made Brooke think about Bella's doctor's appointment the previous week. She was suddenly hit with fear and worry that the baby might have HCM. "Um, I have a question?"

"Yes?"

"When would I be able to tell if the baby had a heart condition?" she said. The doctor's face turned to curiosity. "Oh, is there a family history of heart condition?"

"Um, yeah. The baby's father has HCM"

The doctor drew her hand up to her face, thinking. "You know, I'm not a specialist with fetal heart conditions but from what I know, I pretty sure that it's something that will have to be tested and determined after the baby's born"

Brooke gave a defeated look. She was going to have to wait seven months to find out if her new little one had Lucas's heart condition!

"Maybe you should see a prenatal heart specialist" The doctor advised.

"Yeah, maybe I will" she mumbled. She didn't know if she could wait the entire pregnancy to find out. The week's wait to find out if Bella had HCM had been hell for her and Lucas.

"Alright, now we get to go over prenatal meds" The doctor handed her some pamphlets. As she began to explain different vitamins, Brooke was half listening; instead she was worried about the baby and how she was going to tell Lucas that she was pregnant. Maybe it wasn't worried, maybe it was more of wondering how she going to tell him. They had been broken up for two months and weren't on the best terms because she was still angry at him. How was she going to tell him? And how were they going deal with the pregnancy and raising another child together?

* * *

"Okay, so do any of you know how to dribble?" Skills asked the group of kids who were sitting on the gym floor. Isabella's hand immediately shot up. "I do!"

"Okay Bella, let's see what you got" he said. Bella stood up, and Skills tossed her the ball; and as Lucas had shown her, Bella started to dribble the ball.

Skills raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Now do you think you can dribble it over to the basket?"

"Mm-hmm" she said, concentrating on the ball. Bella carefully dribbled it over to the basket and threw it through the hoop; making a basket.

"Damn Little B., you good" Skills complimented, as everyone else clapped. Isabella flounced her shoulder, smiling, "I know"

Lucas and Haley smiled at her, seeing how much Bella was into herself. "She's not Brooke's daughter" Haley laughed sarcastically.

"And here I thought my grandbaby was going to be a cheerleader!"

Everyone turned their heads, as Karen walk into the gym. "Mom?" Lucas said shocked. "Grandma" Isabella shrieked, running to her. Karen bent down, picking her up, giving her granddaughter a hug.

"Mom, I thought you were coming tomorrow?" Lucas questioned as he walked over to her.

"Well I was but I decided to come early; spend an extra day with my grandbaby" she smiled, looking at Bella and hugging her tightly. "Oh my goodness, you've gotten so big!"

"Grandma, I missed you"

"Oh I missed you too, sweetheart" she said lovingly, adjusting Bella on her hip; she then noticed something with her granddaughter's smile. "Bella Davis, is that a missing tooth I see?"

"Ah-huh. I lost it last week, and now I have another wiggly one"

"Another?" she marveled. Isabella smiled, pointing to her loose tooth.

"Hey Mom, where's lily?" Lucas asked, wondering where his little sister was. Karen turned her attention to Lucas, "Your sister is at home with Andy, she wasn't feeling well so they decided to stay back" she explained.

"Grandma, did you see the basket I made?" Bella asked. Karen nodded her head, "Yes I did. It was the bomb, as they say" she said, then she put Bella to her feet. "Why don't you go finish your practice and I'll watch with your dad, ok?"

"Ok" Bella agreed, running back to Skills and the rest of the kids.

As they started walking towards the bleachers, Lucas wrapped his arm around his mom's shoulder. "Can you believe she's going to be six? It seems like just yesterday you were six" Karen reminisced.

"Ah mom"

"What, it does. You know it still hard for me to believe that my baby boy is a father" she stated. Lucas started to become embarrassed; hearing his mom call him, her 'baby boy'. But he loved his mom and was happy that she was back in Tree Hill.

"Hi Haley" Karen greeted, sitting down next to her on the bleachers. "Hey Karen" Haley smiled.

"Can you believe how big they are?" Karen commented, as they watched Bella and Jamie dribble basketballs.

Haley nodded, "Yeah I know. It's seems like just yesterday Jamie was born"

"Same with Lily" she agreed.

Lucas frowned a little. He wished he could have been there when Bella was born. To see her when she was a baby. Of course he'd seen pictures, but it wasn't the same thing. He often wondered what would of happened if Brooke would have told him about her being pregnant. How would they had handled being parents in high school? He saw how Nathan and Haley were, and wondered if he and Brooke would of had that? Maybe they would have gotten married? Or maybe their lives would be down a completely different road?

* * *

"Hey Millie" Brooke exclaimed, as she walked into her store.

"Brooke, I've tried calling you"

"What?" Brooke pulled out her phone as she was walking up to the store counter. She saw that her phone had a few missed calls. "Oh, I'm sorry Millie; I didn't hear it. I was at the doctors this morning" She explained.

"The doctors? Are you ok?"

Brooke gave her a small smile, "Yeah I'm fine, everything's fine, it's just that I…I'm pregnant" she revealed.

"Oh my God!" Millie exclaimed surprised. "You're pregnant…Is it Lucas's?" she questioned. Brooke had confided to her about the breakup with Lucas. Millie practically knew everything about her life. She had known her and Bella for years. Millie was Brooke's only real friend when she lived in New York.

"Yes" she confirmed, "But he doesn't know yet so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone including my-"she was cut off by the sound of the door to the store opening. Brooke was in shock by the person who came into the store. "Hello Brooke"

"Mom?" Brooke gasped. She was in shock that Victoria was in Tree Hill. She hadn't seen her since New York. "Wha-What are you doing here?"

"And hello to you too" she said, walking to the front counter. "The reason why I'm here is for Isabella's birthday. What kind of grandmother would I be if I didn't come for her birthday party?"

"The same mother you were to me" Brooke retorted.

"Oh please Brooke, stop with the dramatics" Victoria said rudely, then turned to Millie. "You, the assistant, I will need all the sales records from this store immediately"

"Excuse me, but why do you need the sales records?" Brooke questioned. Victoria turned back to her, giving her a fake smile. "Because, as you blatantly pointed out in New York, I don't own the company, I just work for it; so that's what I'm doing here, work. The board has been questioning why the sales have dropped in this store, so I'm here to figure it out" Victoria explained, then added. "Don't worry Brooke, I've already forgiven you for your lack of judgement in New York"

"My. Lack. Of. Judgement" Brooke said through gritted teeth. Her mother had some nerve! She did what she had to do for Lucas, and their daughter's protection. She would never apologize for that.

"Yes" Victoria answered simply. Then she turned her heels, going to the back office. "Millicent. Now!" she called out.

Millie gave her a sympathetic look, then went to follow Victoria in the back office.

Brooke clenched her fists in frustration. She didn't need this. This last week had been too much; first with worrying about her daughter's health, then finding out she was pregnant again with Lucas and worrying if her baby had a heart condition. So now this, with her mother being back in Tree Hill, sent her over the edge. She need a drink! But then she remembered that she was pregnant. _Damn it!_ She thought, she could really use one right now.

* * *

"Grandma, look. This is my room" Bella said, as Karen followed her into her bedroom. "I didn't have a room last time you were here"

"Oh, Isabella. It's beautiful" she complimented, looking around the room. Her room was painted pink, and Karen noticed that she had Lucas's old furniture. It brought back so many memories for her, especially with Isabella's bed was the one that Keith had bought Lucas when he was four.

"This was daddy's old room"

"And it was also your mommy's room for a time too" Karen informed. Bella furrowed her brow, "But you're daddy's mom"

"You right, but there was a time where I had to step in to be your mommy's mom" she explained. "Oh" Bella was starting to comprehend it, just then Lucas walked into the room. "So mom, what do you think of the old room?"

"Oh Lucas, it's wonderful" Karen exclaimed. "I loved what you did to it"

"Yeah well, Nate came over and helped me paint. Hales and this one" he placed his hand on Bella's head, "Picked out the rest of the stuff in here"

"Pink's my favorite color" Bella informed.

"Really, I couldn't tell" Karen joked. Lucas laughed, his daughter was the definition of girly. He had learned over the past few months that little girls have a lot of beauty accessories. Bella had nail polish, headbands and bows littered across her dresser.

"Hey daddy, can we watch The Little Mermaid tonight since Grandma's here? Please" Bella begged.

Lucas sighed; he swore that he'd seen every princess movie with her, but thankfully tonight he had a good excuse. "Sorry kid, not tonight. Your mom's picking you up after dinner". Isabella gave a sad face, starting to pout. "But I wanted to be here with Grandma" she whined.

"Bella, I'll be here for a few days and I'll be at your party tomorrow" Karen explained. Isabella was appeased with the news. "Ok"

"And that reminds me" Lucas said, crouching down to Isabella's level. "Before your mommy get here, a certain little girl was playing with her dress up clothes in the living room last night and forgot to clean them up."

Bella gave a confused look. "Who. Me?" she pointed to herself, playing dumb. Karen stifled a laugh but Lucas couldn't help but smile at his daughter's antics. "Yes, you." He laughed, "Can you go clean it up please?"

"But daddy you were playing too. You were my prince charming" she reasoned.

"Isabella, go clean it"

"But-"

"You know, we could just skip dessert tonight instead" Lucas threatened lightly, standing up. Bella's eyes got wide, "Daddy, I'm gonna clean it right now"

"I'd thought you say something like that" he muttered, as Bella hurried out of the room. He turned his attention to his mom. "Coffee?" he asked.

"I'd love some" she answered. They left the room and started walking to the kitchen. "So you were playing dress up too, huh?" Karen teased.

Lucas started to blush, "Maybe?"

"Oh Luke, I think it's cute what you do for Bella" she stated, as they walked into the kitchen. Lucas went over to the coffee maker, as Karen took a seat at the table.

"Creamer?" he asked.

"Don't you even know your own mother?" she joked.

Lucas chuckled as they went over to the fridge. He smiled looking at the door. It was filled with all of Bella's artwork she had made. His house had completely changed over the last nine months. Going from a bachelor pad to a single dad home. His house was now filled with Barbie's and princess dresses, and it was rare if the kitchen table didn't have some kind of glitter art project; but he wouldn't have it any other way. Lucas loved his daughter, she was the best part of his life.

Lucas placed two cups of coffee on the table, sitting down opposite of his mom. "So how are things between you and Brooke?" Karen asked.

He gave a shake of his head, "Not great"

"You two still broken up?"

"Yep" he answered, taking a sip of his coffee. "We don't really talk unless it's about Bella"

"And how has Isabella taken to your breakup?" she asked.

"Um, pretty good. I don't think she quite understands it or has gotten over it; and I'm pretty sure that she thinks that we're going to get back together" he said.

"But you don't think that?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Brooke's angry at me" he stated, "But I'd love nothing better than to be with her again. I want Bella to have a real family"

"Oh, Lucas, you have to give it time. I'm not going to sugar coat it, you hurt her; and considering what happened in the past with you two, she needs time to forgive." Karen placed her hand on his. "But she forgave you once. Maybe something will happen that will bring you two back together"

"I hope so" he mumbled.

Karen looked at her son, and smiled. "Keith would be very proud of you"

"You really think that?" he countered.

"Yes, I do. Look at what happened in this past year. You found out that you had a daughter and look how you handled it"

"But what kind of father am I?" he questioned, "I wasn't in my daughter's life for five years. I'm just like Dan"

"Lucas Scott" she admonished, giving him a firm look. "You are nothing like Dan. You didn't abandon you're child, you had no idea about her" she defended. "You and Brooke both made mistakes and wrong decisions when it came to your relationship and Isabella. But I can assure that that little girl loves you, and that Keith would be proud of you"

It touched his heart to hear his mom say this. He was always wondering what Keith thought of this situation with finding out about Bella, and then being a father to her. He'd hoped that his Uncle would be proud of him.

"He raised a good man" Karen remarked. Lucas gave her a look, "But mom, you raised me"

"Yes, but even I admit that I couldn't teach you everything. Keith was the one that gave you a great example of what a father was. You are the dad you are to Bella because of him"

Lucas smiled at her, as they heard Isabella come into the kitchen. "Speaking of her" Karen quipped, seeing her granddaughter.

"Daddy, I'm finished cleaning" she announced. Bella went over, standing around the fridge. "Um, can I have a Popsicle, pleeaassee"

Lucas shook his head, "Bella, we're going to have dinner soon"

"But-but it'll be my desert first. Please daddy. I cleaned so much I'm 'kneehidated'" she said dramatically.

Lucas and Karen gave her a confused look, then Lucas started to chuckled. "Dehydrated?" he corrected, figuring out what she said. Karen started laughing too.

Isabella nodded her head, "Yeah that" she confirmed, "Please daddy" she begged, widening her identical baby blue eyes to his; giving him a pathetic look. Lucas couldn't say no to her. "Fine, but just one"

Karen smiled. She couldn't resist those eyes when Lucas was around her age.

"Yay!" she squealed, opening the freezer door. After pulling out a Popsicle and shutting the door, she went over to her daddy. "Here peanut" Lucas lifted Bella up, and sat her on his lap.

Karen smiled at her son and granddaughter; she was on cloud nine. She couldn't believe how lucky she got with her son and granddaughter. As she looked at Bella, she couldn't help but notice that Bella resembled Keith when she smile. Maybe it was because Lucas resembled Keith, and Isabella resembled Lucas. But one thing Karen knew was that Keith was looking down on them, smiling; and in some way, he was watching over them.

 **~Remember to Review!~**


	22. Truth doesn't make a noise

**WOW! I can't believe I hit over 200 reviews! I am on cloud nine right now ;)**

 **To answer my one guest review: Yes, Julian will still be in this story. And to answer another review; this story is nowhere close to being finished. I have this story already written out in my head and right now it's probably at the halfway point.**

 **If you guys have any suggestions or ideas for chapters or scenes, let me know! I will try and work them into the story.**

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Brooke felt a little hand shaking her arm. "Momma" she heard. Brooke slightly opened her eyes, seeing a little figure who was wearing Sleeping Beauty pajamas, standing on the side of her bed. "Bella, what's wrong?"

"It's my birthday!" She smiled.

"Yeah" Brooke said with one eye open.

"Mommy, you have to get up"

Brooke reached over and looked at her phone. _4:38_. "Isabella, it's four in the morning"

"I know, but it's my birthday. I'm six!"

"So let me get this straight; you're a hellion to wake up any other day but on your birthday you get up at the crack of dawn?" Brooke mumbled, trying to pull the covers back over. "Go back to bed"

"Mom!" Isabella protested, climbing onto the bed. She crawled over her mama, so that she was on the other side of her. "I'm not tired, I don't wanna go back to bed"

Even in her subconscious state, Brooke could hear the whine in Bella's voice; the one that she had when she was tired. Remembering how cranky her daughter was when she was tired, especially that trip to the doctors a week ago; Brooke knew that Isabella needed her sleep. She wanted her daughter to be happy and cheerful for her birthday party; so she wanted her to go back to bed.

Brooke pushed back the covers. "Baby, come on. You can sleep in here" She patted the spot next to her.

"Ok" Bella agreed, climbing over, laying down next to her mama. Brooke threw the covers back over them as Isabella snuggled next to her. It was quiet for a minute until Bella whispered, "Mama"

"Shh, go to sleep"

"But mommy I need to say something"

Brooke opened her eyes and with the moonlight streaming in through the window, she could see Bella's face. "And what's that?"

"I love you" Bella said.

It made her smile to hear her daughter say that. "Oh, I love you too" she kissed the top of Bella's head. "Now go to bed. We're gonna have a huge party and you need your beauty sleep" she said. Bella snuggled closer to her and Brooke felt a little arm around her stomach. She smiled, she had both her babies with her that morning.

* * *

Later that morning, Brooke opened the door to her bedroom. She had been up for a couple hours, working on getting ready for Bella's birthday party, while she let her daughter sleep in. This was the first time that she was going to have her daughter's party at her house; Bella past birthday parties in New York, Brooke had always had it at a venue. But this year, she wanted Bella to have more of a normal party.

Brooke smiled, seeing her daughter sitting up on her bed. "Oh my Goodness!" she exclaimed. Running over, she jumped on the bed and sat next to her daughter. "There's my birthday girl "she said, giving her daughter a hug.

"Mommy" Bella giggled, "I can't breathe"

Brooke released from the hug. "Oh, I can't believe my baby's six already" she said sadly, "Next year you'll be seven, then the year after that eight, then nine; and eventually you'll turn thirteen and it's all downhill after that because you'll be a teenager and I just realized in ten years you will be turning sixteen-"

"Mom!" Bella exclaimed, giggling.

"Isabella, you need to stop growing"

Bella shook her head, "Nu-huh"

"What! You don't want to stay like this? You could be my little baby forever" She said, giving her daughter another hug. It was sad for her to think that her baby was growing up. Brooke wished that she could keep Bella at this age.

"No way"

"Ok fine" Brooke pouted, moved so that she was sitting in front of Bella. Her face quickly changed from a pout to excitement. "So, are you ready for your party?"

Bella nodded, "Ah-huh. I've been waiting for my party for _weeks_!"

"Well good, because this is going to be a huge party. I invited everyone including your little friends from school, and we're going to have a princess bouncy house"

"It's a princess one?" Isabella questioned wide eyed.

Brooke smiled, "Yep"

"Yay!" Bella shrieked. Brooke loved seeing her daughter happy. It was the best feeling a mom could have. "So, do you want get dressed" she said, "I thought that you and I could go to a café and get your traditional birthday pancakes for breakfast"

"Um, can I wear my princess dress today? Please?" Isabella begged.

"Well you can if you want to" Brooke answered, standing up. She started walking towards the door. "Or you could wear…" She grabbed something from the hallway. "This" she held up a pink gift bag. Bella's eyes lit up with excitement. "What is it?"

"Well open it and find out" Brooke handed her the bag. Bella took it and immediately started tearing through the tissue paper. "Woah!" she exclaimed when she pulled out the first present, it was a princess tiara.

"A tiara for my birthday princess" Brooke said, placing it on her head. Bella got a huge smile on her face. "Thank you, mommy" she smiled.

"Well there's something else in there too" Brooke said. Isabella smiled and continued digging in the bag; pulling out a pink dress. Her little jaw dropped when she saw it. Brooke smiled at her daughter's reaction. "Do you like it?"

"I love it, Momma. Thank you!" Bella flung herself at Brooke and wrapped her arms around her.

"Oh, you're welcome, baby Davis" she said, hugging her daughter back.

"Mom" Bella said embarrassed, rolling her eyes. Brooke furrowed her brow, lightly laughing. "What?"

"You can't call me that anymore"

"What? Baby Davis?"

"Yeah" Bella nodded her head, "I'm six, only five year olds are called a baby" she stated seriously. Brooke smiled at her daughter's logic. "Oh, and you're not a baby?"

"Nu-huh, I'm a woman" she said confidently.

Brooke stifled a laugh. Her daughter was too cute sometimes. So she looked at her seriously. "Oh, well that's too bad"

"Why?" Bella asked confused. Brooke stood up, "Well because only kids get chocolate-chip birthday pancakes." She revealed, slowly starting to walk to the door.

"What!" Bella said shocked. She quickly got off the bed and ran to Brooke. "Mommy, I'm still little. See? I'm not tall yet"

Brooke smiled at her, "Yeah, you are kinda short"

"Hey!" Bella said indignantly. Brooke laughed, "Alright, you better get moving so we can go."

"Is Daddy coming with?" Bella asked innocently. Brooke's heart sank, seeing her daughter's face, but before she could answer her, Bella added "This is my first birthday daddy's going to be at."

"I know that sweetie, but your dad's busy this morning" she said, making up an excuse. "But he'll be here at your party"

"When's my party start?" she asked.

"It starts at noon" she answered, "So you better get moving!" she gave Isabella a playful swat to her bottom. Bella giggled and went to get dressed, as Brooke turned and walked out of the room.

When she hit the bottom stair-step, she heard her cell phone ring. Hurrying over to the counter, she picked up her phone; seeing that it was Haley calling.

"Hello" she said, answering the phone.

"Hey Brooke"

"Hey Hales"

"Wow, so today's the big day, huh?"

"God, I can't believe she's six already" she said, "It seems like she was just turning one"

"Karen and I were just saying the same thing about Jamie and Lily. She was at their practice yesterday"

"Yeah, I saw Karen yesterday when I picked up Bella from Lucas's house. I'm so happy she's back in Tree Hill" she said.

"It will be nice for Izzy to have a grandmother at her party"

"She'll have two actually" Brooke corrected, remembering that her Mother was back in town. "Victoria's back in town"

"Ohh" Haley sighed.

"Yeah" she didn't want to deal with her mother today. Today she wanted to focus on her daughter, it was her day. Brooke heard Haley starting to laugh on the other line. "What are you laughing at?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm just laughing about Jamie" she answered, "Yesterday I was at the store with him, and it took him over an hour to pick out a present for Bella"

Brooke smiled, "That's so sweet"

"They're going to be best friend forever, aren't they?" Haley commented.

"Yes." She said, "That and they'll be little delinquents when they're in high school"

"Oh, I didn't think about that"

"Hales, you have nothing to worry about. Jamie's your kid and you did nothing bad in high school" Brooke laughed.

"But he had Nathan's DNA" she pointed out.

"Oh, that's true"

"So, speaking of DNA" Haley began, "I see that you haven't told Lucas yet"

Brooke sighed, "No, not yet"

"Brooke, you need to tell him"

"I know, I'm just don't know how to him that I'm pregnant" As she said this, she saw Isabella coming down the stairs. "But I'll tell him soon, I swear"

"Ok" Haley said, not pressing the issue anymore. "Well I'll let you go but we'll see you at the party. It's at noon, right?"

"Yes"

"Alright well, we'll probably be there early"

"Ok"

"Bye"

"Bye" Brooke said, hanging up the call. She put her phone down on the counter, and looked at her daughter, "That's was your Aunt Haley".

"Are they coming to my party?" Bella asked.

Brooke nodded, "Yep, they're going to be here early so we need to scoot" she smiled.

They heard a knock at the door. Isabella jumped off the chair and ran to the door; opening it. "Victoria!" she exclaimed, seeing her grandmother at the door.

"Mother?" Brooke started walking towards the door.

"Hello Brooke" She said, giving her a cold smile. She then looked down at her granddaughter, "Hello Isabella"

"Victoria, are you here for my birthday?"

"Well of course I am" Victoria said, this time giving a genuine smile.

"Do you wanna come with us, we're going to get breakfast?" Isabella asked.

"Um, Bella, I don't think-" Brooke began, but was quickly caught off by Victoria. "Of course I'll go. I'd love too"

Brooke looked at her mother, surprised. She had never heard the word 'love' out of Victoria's mouth, well, unless it was about money; but she never heard her say it regarding her or Isabella. "Um, ok" Brooke mumbled, grabbing her purse off the table.

"Yay! Let's go" Bella squealed, bolting out the door. Victoria gave her daughter a look, then turned, following her granddaughter.

Brooke walked to the door. _"This should be interesting"_ she thought, as she shut the door.

* * *

"Here you go ma'am" The waiter place a cup of coffee in front of Brooke. She was at a café with her Mother and Bella. She had decided to just have coffee since she had been experiencing terrible morning sickness since she woke up. Looking back up to the waiter, she smiled, "Thanks"

"I'll be right back with the rest of your order" he told, then he left; leaving them alone at the table.

"So, how have you been, Isabella?" Victoria asked.

"Good" she replied, "I started playing basketball yesterday. My daddy took me, and guess what?" Her eyes widened, "I scored a basket! Coach Skills said I'm the best on the team" she said.

"Who's Coach Skills?" Victoria asked.

"Um, he's one of Lucas's friends" Brooke answered. At the mention of Lucas's name, Victoria rolled her eyes.

"Woah!" Isabella exclaimed, when the waiter came back with their food. Brooke smiled as she saw Bella's face. She had asked the waiter to put a birthday candle in her pancakes. Brooke placed the plate in front of Bella, "Make a wish, baby" she smiled.

Isabella shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them smiling. "Ok, I made it!" she said, then she blew out the candle.

Brooke pulled the candle out. "Want some help?" she asked, when she saw that Bella was struggling with the utensils.

"No mommy, I can do it" she said stubbornly. Brooke smiled at her daughter's independence, she was the exact same way when she was her age.

"So, I've looked into the recent sales at the store" Victoria mentioned.

Brooke sighed, "Mother, do we have to talk about work?"

"The sales are down forty percent" She revealed, ignoring her daughter. "Brooke, these numbers are horrendous. We're going to have to go through the merchandise, the store's marketing strategy, all the spending; we need to fix this problem"

"Ok" Brooke said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Ow!" Isabella exclaimed. She put her hand over her mouth. "Bella, what's wrong?" Brooke asked concerned.

Isabella lowered her hand, "My tooth hurts" she complained. As she was talking, Brooke noticed a little gap in her front teeth that hadn't been there before. "Bella, look! You lost your tooth"

"What!" Bella opened her hand, seeing it in her hand. Her eyes got wide with excitement. "Mommy, I lost it"

"You did, baby!" Brooke smiled.

"I get birthday cake, presents and the tooth fairy's coming tonight!" Isabella said excited, as she pumped her fist in the air. "Yes!"

"Tooth fairy" Victoria repeated, unamused.

Brooke looked over at Victoria. Icing her with a glare, she raised her one eyebrow; giving her a look that clearly said 'Don't you dare say anything!'. Turning back to her daughter, Brooke smiled, "Yeah and I think the tooth fairy gives extra money on your birthday"

"Yay!" Bella shrieked.

Victoria rolled her eyes. She thought that Isabella was getting too old to believe in such childish things. She never did the whole 'tooth fairy' thing with Brooke. Well, Brooke's nanny did it a few times but when she had found out, she put the kibosh to that! She did the right thing for Brooke, not letting her believe in such things because then she'd have to tell her it was all a lie. Brooke babied Isabella too much. She should have stayed in New York and kept a nanny for Isabella.

"Now this is two I've lost. I lost my first tooth at Aunt Haley's" Isabella said, "It was on daddy's day"

"Daddy's day" Victoria repeated her granddaughter once again.

Brooke prayed to god that Bella wouldn't say anything. She still hadn't told her mother yet that she and Lucas were broken up.

"Yeah daddy's day" Bella said innocently, "I go with dad on his days since mommy and daddy broke up"

There it was.

Victoria looked up at Brooke, having an exultant look on her face. "You and Lucas broke up?" she asked.

Brooke nodded, "Yeah."

"When?"

She shrugged her shoulder, "I don't know, like two months ago"

Victoria scoffed, "I always knew that you and Lucas wouldn't last. I tried telling you Brooke, but you didn't listen. I told you not to move here, that you should have stayed in New York; but no, you wanted to move here. Then I tell you not to get involved with him again, but you did"

Brooke didn't say anything, instead she took a sip of her coffee; listening to her mother.

"But its ok, Brooke" Victoria said, "Lucas wasn't good enough for you. He already broke your heart once so I don't know why you started dating him again? He's worthless, him and that low class family of his. With his mother who owned that despicable café, and that father who abandoned him…"

Brooke glanced over to her daughter, who was looking at Victoria; wide eyed. "Mother-" she cut of Victoria rant, "Enough!". Victoria looked at her, and Brooke continued; making her words very firm. "I don't care what opinion you have on Lucas, you will not bad mouth him in front of _my_ kid!"

Victoria gave her an offended look. "Well I was just saying-"

"Well don't!" she said sharply, "Lucas is Bella's dad and you will keep your opinion to yourself in front of her"

Victoria stared at her, "Fine, if that's what you want" she said coldly. It was quiet at the table for a few moments, none of the three Davis's talking. Brooke looked down, noticing that her coffee was gone.

"Where are you going?" Victoria asked, as Brooke stood up. Brooke grabbed her cup, "I'm going to get a refill"

"Brooke, they have waiters that do that"

"Trust me, I'll get it myself" she stated, starting walking away. She needed to get away from her mother. All she wanted was to celebrate her daughter's birthday, maybe even forget about her problems with Lucas and her mother; and just focus on Bella. Her daughter was the most important person in her life, and she want to do everything she could to make Isabella happy and feel loved.

* * *

"Mommy" Bella exclaimed, running into the kitchen. She ran over to the kitchen bar stool and climbed up on it.

"Yeah baby?" Brooke said, looking up at her daughter. They had just gotten back from the café and she was finishing up some last minute party preparations. It was just her and Bella there, Victoria had decided to go back and work at the store until the party started. Brooke knew that this was because of their little dispute that morning, but she was happy to get away from her mother; being with her for an hour was enough.

Isabella leaned over the counter and asked, "When's my party gonna start?"

"Um-"Brooke looked at her watch, "In about an hour, Baby"

"An hour! Momma, that's a long time away" she whined.

"Well," Brooke began, picking up a box. "If you're that bored, you can help me decorate" she held up some pink streamers. Isabella shook her head. "What? You don't want to help me?" Brooke questioned.

"Na-huh, because a birthday princess doesn't work on her birthday" she stated. Brooke rolled her eyes. Damn, her daughter was a lot like her! "Alright you goof, I'm gonna go outside and finish, ok?"

"Ok"

"And no getting into any candy" she warned lightly, starting to walk out the door.

As she was setting up some of the tables, she heard the sound of a car. Looking over her shoulder, she saw it was Lucas and Karen pulling up in the driveway. She smiled at them and set down the decorations as they got out of the car. "Hey Brooke" Karen said.

"Hi Karen" Brooke said, walking over to her and giving her a hug.

"Hey Brooke" Lucas greeted.

"Hi Luke"

"Oh, I can't believe Isabella's six already" Karen stated, looking around at the party.

"I know" Brooke said in agreement.

"See Ma, now I should've had that at my parties" Lucas said, looking at the bouncy castle. Brooke had rented the biggest one she could.

"Well you should have told me you wanted a princess one" Karen smirked. Brooke chuckled at this, while Lucas shook his head, starting to blush. "So where is the birthday girl?" he asked, changing the subject.

"She's inside" Brooke answered.

"Ok" he said, starting to head to the house. When he walked inside, he saw that Bella was sitting on the counter; leaning over and reaching her hand inside the piñata. Smiling, he quietly walked over to her, not wanting her to know that he was there. "And what are you doing!" Lucas exclaimed, quickly picking her up from behind.

"DADDY!" Bella shrieked shocked, as Lucas turned her around in his arms. "Daddy, you're here" she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. Lucas hugged his daughter back, "How is my birthday girl?"

"Great! Look, I lost my tooth is morning" she smiled, showing the little gap. "I get presents, and birthday cake, and the tooth fairy" she said, her face lit up with excitement.

"Yeah, and apparently candy" he motioned his head to the piñata, "I see that you were trying to sneak some in"

"But it's my piñata"

"Oh, so you think it's your candy" he asked.

"Mm-hmm" Bella giggled. Lucas smiled at his daughter, and set her down to her feet.

"Daddy, did you see the bouncy house?"

"Yeah, I saw it peanut. It's awesome" he answered. He was almost as excited as Bella. But was he was really ecstatic about was that this was Isabella's first birthday that he going to be at. He'd missed out on so much of her life, and had a lot to catch up on.

Bella grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the door. "Come on Daddy, let's go jump" she said. Smiling, Lucas followed his daughter outside. Brooke and Karen, who were working on decorating, looked over at Lucas and Bella as they came out of the house.

"Momma, Daddy and I are gonna bounce" Bella shrieked.

"Woah, woah, wait!" Lucas said, stopping her. "We have to ask mommy if she needs any help setting up for your party" He looked up at Brooke, "Do you need any help?"

"No, I'm fine" Brooke answered, smiling at them "Go have fun!"

"Come on, daddy" Isabella pulled her daddy's hand. "Alright, I'm coming" he said, following her. When they were almost at the bouncy house, Bella suddenly stopped; turning around, she looked at her momma. "Hey Momma?"

"Yeah, Baby?"

"Are you gonna come and jump with us?" Bella asked.

"Su-"Brooke stopped and subconsciously glanced down at her stomach. She didn't know if jumping would hurt the baby, so she didn't want to take the risk. Plus she was still feeling nauseous. Looking back up to Bella, she said "Um, Bella I have to finish setting up"

"Ok" Isabella shrugged, running to the bouncy house. All the while Karen was looking at Brooke with a knowing smile.

As they continued setting up, they could hear Lucas and Isabella laughing in the bounce house. "So, how have you been?" Karen asked, holding up the one end of a banner.

"Um, I've been good, it's crazy at work with starting a new clothing line and having to talk with investors and all the board meetings" she explained, "But yeah, I've been good…well except for this morning" she said the last part under her breath.

"Why, what happened this morning?" Karen asked, hearing what she had said.

"Oh, my mother is in town" she replied disgusted, "She came yesterday and this morning we got in a little argument"

"Oh, was it about the baby?" Karen questioned casually.

"No, it abou-" Brooke stopped. She turned and looked at Karen with shock eminent on her face. "Oh god! Am I showing already? Does Lucas know? Is that how you found out?" she rambled off panicked, looking down at her stomach.

"No, no, no. Lucas doesn't know" Karen assured, "It was actually Haley that told me"

"Haley" she muttered.

"Oh, she was just excited and I am too. I can't believe I'm going to be a grandma again. I'm really happy for you and Lucas"

"Thanks Karen" she smiled.

"But Brooke, you need to tell Lucas about this baby; he should know"

"Yeah, I know, I'm just still trying to figure it out" she said "So um, I'd really appreciate it, if you didn't tell you Lucas"

"I won't say a word" Karen reassured.

Brooke gave her a small smile. Looking over she could see Lucas and Isabella in the bounce house. She knew that she needed to tell him, but she just needed time to figure out when…and how?

* * *

The party had been in full swing for over an hour. Isabella was bouncing with her friends in the bounce house when she suddenly stopped, and got a big smile on her face. "Grandpa Dan!" Bella shrieked, seeing Dan. She quickly scrambled out of the bouncy house and went running to Dan. "Grandpa" she shouted. Dan turned, seeing his granddaughter running towards him. "Hi Bella" he said, as she came up to him.

Brooke had been talking with some moms of the other children when she saw her daughter running up to Dan Scott. She had no idea that Dan was going to be here. Brooke didn't know Dan that well, but she personally didn't trust him; especially around her daughter.

"Um, excuse me" she said, leaving the group. She walked over to Lucas, who was standing by one of the tables. "Hey!"

Lucas turned his head. "Hey Brooke"

"Did you know that was gonna be here?" she asked, tilting her head in the direction of Dan. Lucas gave her a confused face. He looked over, just then noticing that Dan was there. "He asked me a couple weeks ago if he could come-"

"Wow, thanks for telling me" she cut him off, harshly.

"I didn't say yes" he defended, "I told him that I would talk with you first"

"And obviously you didn't!"

"Hey! You didn't tell me that Victoria was coming"

"I didn't know that she was coming, she just showed up yesterday" Brooke explained. "Why are you upset that my mother's here?"

"Oh trust me, your mother's made her opinion on me, very clear" Lucas stated. Brooke gave him a questioning look. "New York" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"New York?" she repeated, confused. What happened in New York? Was it when the company had that scandal regarding Bella? They had both decided to tell the media about her. He didn't go, so what was he upset with Victoria about?

"You know what, never mind" Lucas muttered, "I'll just go tell Dan that he has to leave"

"No, it's fine" she stopping him. "This is our daughter's party and if you want Dan here that's fine" Brooke realized that since Isabella was _their_ daughter, Lucas had the right to invite whoever he wanted. "He is Bella's grandfather" she said. They both simultaneously looked over to their daughter, seeing that she was talking with Dan.

"Grandpa, I didn't think you were coming" Bella said. Dan smirked, taking a seat on one of the chairs, he then lifting Bella onto his lap. "Of course I was coming for my favorite granddaughter's birthday"

Isabella rolled her eyes, "I'm your only granddaughter" she smiled.

"Well even so, you'll always be my favorite" he smiled. Dan loved his granddaughter. Even though he didn't have a good relationship with his son, due to his own faults; Dan loved Isabella and wanted to be a good grandfather to her.

"Grandpa, are you gonna jump in the bouncy house with me?" Bella asked. Dan shook his head, "I can't"

"Is it because of your heart?"

Dan looked at her, wondering how she knew. Before he could say anything, Bella added, "Dad said that your heart was sick and his was too". Dan was suddenly hit with concern that she could have HCM. He would have to talk with Lucas.

While he was deep in thought, a group of Bella's friends ran past them. He saw the one boy wave at his granddaughter and then saw Bella smile and wave back. "Who's that?" he asked, seeing that Bella looked like she had stars in her eyes. Isabella turned her attention back to her grandpa. "Who?"

"That boy you just waved at"

"That's Liam. He's my boyfriend" she answered nonchalantly.

Dan snorted, "Boyfriend?"

"Ah-huh" she nodded her head, "He's in my class and on my basketball team!"

Dan smiled, "Oh, so is he your first boyfriend?" he asked. He found it hard to keep a straight face, his granddaughter was too adorable.

"No, I've had three" she answered, "But daddy doesn't, so don't tell him"

"Wouldn't dream of it" he smirked. He knew that Lucas was very overprotective of his little girl. "But Isabella, I want you to promise me, that if he or any other boy ever hurts you; you tell me and I'll take care of it"

Isabella nodded her head, "Ok, I promise"

"I mean it, Isabella. You're much too pretty and smart to ever have some boy hurt you." He said earnestly. He didn't protect Lucas, but he would make damn sure that he protected his granddaughter.

"Ok, grandpa"

"Alright, why don't you go play with you friends" Dan lifted Bella off his lap.

"Ok" she said, then she ran off.

Dan smiled. He had such a different perspective on life that what he had six years ago. He was an angry bitter man in the past, but that man no longer existed. He wanted to enjoy his life, as little time as he had left with his given heart situation. He wanted to be a good grandfather to Isabella and Jamie, and have a good relationship with them; something he never had in his own sons.

* * *

Brooke was checking over the tables, making sure that she had everything out. While she was looking, she noticed that the one bowl was empty and of course, you can't have a six year old's party without candy.

So grabbing the bowl, she took it inside to the kitchen. She had put the candy up in one of the high cabinets because she knew that Isabella would get into it if it was within in her little reach. Pulling one of the chairs over, she stood on it, opening the cabinet door.

"Brooke" she heard name called. Turning her head, she saw that it was Nathan. "Oh, Hi Nate" she said.

Nathan came over to her, "Hey, you shouldn't be doing that" he reasoned, helping her off the chair. "What?" Brooke questioned confused.

"You shouldn't be straining yourself" he said, using his tall stature to reach back in the cabinet, "You can't risk falling and stuff. I want my new little niece or nephew to be healthy"

Brooke eye's widened. "How does everyone know? Am I showing already?" she feared, looking down; running her hand over her stomach.

"No, you looked perfect" he complimented, handing her the bag.

"Then who?" It then dawn on her. "Haley?" she asked. Nathan smirked, "Yeah, she told me"

"Has she been telling everyone? That was privileged information" she said, almost laughing.

"Well, I've got the privileged husband card" he smirked, "But I just want to let you know that Hales and I are happy for you and we'll be here to support you"

"Thanks Nathan" she smiled. It felt nice to know that she had support from her friends and family.

"So I take it that you haven't told Luke yet?"

"What makes you think that?" she countered.

"Brooke, Lucas is over at my house practically every weekend he has Izzy. He would have told me" Nathan stated. Brooke sighed, leaning her back against the counter. "No, I haven't told him yet"

"Well you should tell him" he said, "He needs to know"

"I know, I'm just still trying to figure out how. You know, it's not the easiest thing to say to your ex" Brooke stated.

"Look, here's the thing, I know that Lucas wants you guys to get back together, but honestly, I can understand why you don't want to right now. It's not easy when someone breaks your heart. I know that when Hales left, I was devastated; it took me a long time to forgive her."

"You seem to be the only person who understands" she stated, "It's like everyone expects me to forgive him and get back together again"

"I know what it feels like to have your heart broken. So my advice is just take your time and if you chose to forgive Luke and get back together, that's great. And if you don't, that's fine too." He reassured, "But always know that Haley and I will be here to help support you with Isabella and the new baby"

"Thanks, Nate" she gave him a smile.

"Come here" Nathan said, pulling Brooke into a hug. It was quiet for a moment before Nathan spoke again. "So I was thinking that if you had a boy, you could name him Nathan"

Brooke pulled back from the hug, "Oh?"

"Well the way I see it, we already named Jamie after Lucas; and this is his kid" he reasoned. Brooke smiled, "Yeah, I'll think about it. I haven't even started thinking about names"

"Well I just gave you a great one" he smirked. Brooke lightly laughed at him. "Alright, well I better get this bowl back out there. You know how kids get when there's no candy" she said, and grabbing the candy off the counter, she went outside.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Lucas exclaimed, he was carrying Isabella's cake as he walked beside Brooke. "Brooke, you do realize that this is for a six year old?" He laughed. It was a two-tiered, pink and white cake with a number six at the top.

"What? It's the one Bella wanted" she justified. Lucas smiled at her, she was such a good mom; and she always did everything with their daughter's best intent. "There!" he said, as he set it down on the table.

"Oh wow Brooke, its beautiful" Haley complimented.

"I know right, I thought it went perfect with the party scheme" she smiled.

"Hey Brooke, where are the candles?" Lucas asked. "Um, right here" she said, handing them to him. As he was placing candles in the cake, Isabella came skipping up to them. Her eyes got wide with excitement when she saw the cake. "Is this my cake?"

"Hey!" Lucas laughed, putting his hands over her eyes. "You're not supposed to see it until there's candles"

"Daddy" Bella giggled, trying to push his hands out of the way. "I wanna see it". Lucas moved his hands and Bella jaw dropped when she saw it. "Mommy, it's the one I wanted!"

"I know, baby" Brooke smiled.

Isabella took a step closer and stood on her tiptoes, looking at the cake. "Momma, what kind is it?"

"It's chocolate like you wanted"

Isabella shook her head, "No" she looked up at Lucas, "I wanted a different kind but mommy said no" she then looked over to Brooke, "Mommy, what kind was it?"

"It was some kind of disgusting orange-pineappley cake" she answered with a shiver of her shoulders. The thought of the cake gave her nausea.

"Brooke, you ok?" Lucas asked concerned, seeing the expression of her face. Brooke looked up and could see the worry and concern in his eyes. She knew that she had to tell him but obviously she couldn't right now. "Um, Luke I think that we need to talk later"

"Are you gonna tell him that you're pregnant?" Isabella blurted out. Brooke froze! Haley widened her eyes at her niece. Brooke couldn't believe what her daughter just said. How did Bella know? And why did she have to say it in front of Lucas? Clenching her fingers a little, she sighed in frustration, "Thank you Isabella"

Lucas felt his heart stop that very second. Was what his daughter said true? Was Brooke was pregnant? "You-you're pregnant?" he stuttered.

She knew that she had to tell him, but with her Mother and both of Lucas's parents being there, she couldn't handle telling him at the moment. Overwhelmed with emotions, frustration, hurt and some hormones, she didn't feel like dealing with it. "I, I can't handle this right now" she exclaimed. She quickly turned and started walking towards the house. Lucas went after her, "Brooke, wait!" he said. But she ignored him, continuing to walk away.

"Um, ok, I guess we'll wait on the cake" Haley called out awkwardly.

Brooke walked through the house, and going into her bedroom; she shut the door. Lucas opened the door and followed her in, closing the door behind him. He saw the Brooke was pacing around the room, rubbing her hand at her temple.

"Um, is what Bella said true? Are you pregnant?" he asked.

Brooke stopped pacing and looked at him with tears in her eyes. This brought back so many memories, the first being when she had a pregnancy scare when they were both sixteen; and the other was when she found out about Isabella and didn't tell him. Brooke knew that couldn't lie to him or try and hide it, she had to tell him. "Yes" she revealed.

Lucas hitched a breath. Brooke was pregnant. He was going to be a father again. He felt a mixture of emotions, but he was mostly shocked by it all. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah Luke, I'm sure. I went to the doctor's yesterday"

"Oh, wow…ok" he sighed, sitting down on her bed. "When did you find out?"

"Right before Bella's appointment in Charlotte" she answered, sitting next to him on the bed. Lucas turned and looked at her, "That's why you were tired and saying you were nauseous? Brooke, why didn't you tell me?"

"Lucas, I wanted to make sure that it was true before I said anything" she explained. It was quiet between them for a moment. Brooke was dealing with the emotions of it all, and Lucas was still trying to process that he was going to be a dad again.

After the initial shock had diminished, Lucas comfortingly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I know you're still mad at me, ok, but I'm here for you Brooke, I'm going to be here for you and this baby. I'm going to be here every step of the way; the doctor's appointment, everything"

Brooke gave him a small smile, "Thanks"

"But I think we need to talk about our relationship" he mentioned. Brooke quickly moved her body so that his arm was no longer around her. She looked at him, "What about it?"

"Well don't you think that we should-"

"No! No." she stated firmly, knowing what he was going to say. "Just because I'm having a baby doesn't mean that we're getting back together" She was starting to feel all the emotions from the breakup come back to her.

"But don't you think this baby deserves to have a mother and father"

"And it will just like Isabella has" She said, standing up.

Oh, you know what I mean" he stated, "It's not fair that this baby will have to go back and forth between houses like Bella's has too. It's not fair that they won't have two parents together"

"None of this is fair Lucas, it's especially not fair to me. You're the one that hurt me. You're the one that lied to me and ruin our relationship." She said with tears starting to form in her eyes. It felt like a knife to her heart when she talked about the breakup. It was easier to avoid it and become numb to it, then to talk about it with Lucas.

"Brooke, I'm sorry" he said softly, as he tried moving closer to her.

Brooke took a step back from him, "Lucas stop! I'm not discussing this right now" she snapped, emotionally building a wall up against him.

So deciding to take some advice from his mom, Lucas stopped pressing the issue, giving her the time she needed to process and deal with their relationship. Instead, he decided to focus on the baby.

"Ok, you know what, let's just concentrate on the baby and Isabella right now. We need to-" He was cut off by a knock at the door. They both looked to the door as they heard their daughter's voice, "Momma, Daddy". Brooke turned her head to Lucas. "Luke, we'll talk about this later. Let's just go and enjoy our daughter's birthday; I don't want to ruin this day for Bella" she said quietly.

Brooke walked over to the door and opened it; playfully raised her eyebrows when she saw that Bella's ear was up to the door. "Eavesdropping?"

Isabella smiled innocently, "No, Mommy"

"Yeah, ah-huh" Brooke laughed. Bella went to past her and ran to her daddy. So Lucas bent down and picked her up. "Daddy, can we have my cake now? I've been waiting forever!" She said.

Lucas nodded, "Yeah princess, we can have it now"

"Yay!" she smiled. Lucas carried Isabella, as he followed Brooke outside.

Going over to the table where the cake was, he set Bella down and began to light the candles.

"Hey, you ok?" Haley asked quietly. Brooke nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine" she assured, giving Haley her famous fake smile; the one that she used all the time in high school.

Lucas finished lighting the candles. "You ready?" he asked Brooke. "Yeah" she nodded. Soon all their friends and family were gathered around; Brooke and Lucas were standing next to each other, smiling at their daughter.

 _"_ _Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Isabella; happy birthday to you"_

Bella had a smile on her face as they finished singing. "Make a wish, princess" Lucas said.

"Ok" she shut her eyes tight.

"Bella?" Brooke questioned, when Bella kept her eyes shut for a few minutes. Isabella held up her index finger, eyes still closed. "I'm thinking about my wish"

"Well do you want to make it before we eat wax" Lucas chuckled. Everyone around the table started laughing. After a moment, Bella opened her eyes, with a big smile on her face. "I got it!" she said, then she proceeded to blow out the candles.

"Hey Hales, can you take a picture of us?" Lucas asked, referring to Brooke and Isabella. He wanted his daughter to have a picture since this was the first time that she had both her parents on her birthday.

"Yeah, sure" Haley agreed.

Both parents went over to their daughter, and Lucas picked Bella up, standing beside Brooke. As the family smiled for the camera, Lucas glanced over at Brooke, thinking about the baby. After he'd had a few minutes to take it all in, he was beginning to become thrilled about it. He loved Brooke, and though he didn't know if she loved him back; he couldn't imagine having kids with anyone else. He smiled as he looked at her, they were going to be parents again.

* * *

Opening the door to Bella's room later that night, Brooke laughed. Isabella was dancing around her room in her new tutu pajamas that Karen had given her as a present. Her stereo was on, blasting the cd that Peyton had given her.

"I don't know if ballet and Flo Rida quite go together" she laughed, turning off the stereo. Bella stopped dancing and crossed her arms, looking at her. "Mom! I was dancin' to that"

"I know Bella, but it's bedtime" Brooke stated, walking over to her bed.

"Nooo" Bella whined, drawing out the word.

"Yeess" Brooke said in the same voice.

"But mommy, I'm older. A year older!" she emphasized, "I get a later bedtime now 'cause I'm six"

Brooke smirked, "Isabella, it's already an hour past your bedtime"

"But five more minutes. Pleeaassee! It's my birthday" she begged.

"Fine" Brooke smiled. She then took a seat on the bed. "But I'm going to lay here" she said, laying back. The moment her head hit the pillow, she closed her eyes and sighed peacefully. She was dead tired and felt like she was going to fall asleep any moment. The day's events had completely wore her out, and on top of that, she was pregnant. She could remember being tired when she was in her first trimester with Bella.

"How aren't you tired?" Brooke questioned, as Isabella was twirling around the room. It amazed her how much energy Bella had.

"Grandma gave me another piece of cake, but she told me it was a secret" Bella revealed. Brooke rolled her eyes. Her daughter couldn't keep a secret to save her life; she was just like Haley. "Hmm, that's why you were so hyper tonight"

"Mom, I'm not hyper" Bella argued. As she was spinning, she lost her foot placement and fell. "Oops!" she giggled, standing up.

"Ahem" Brooke raised her eyebrows. "You want to come to bed before you hurt yourself"

"But momma, I don't want to go to sleep" she whined.

"You don't have to go to sleep, just come and lay down" she patted the spot next to her. Bella slumped her shoulder and came over. Climbing on the bed, she laid down next to her.

As they were laying there, Brooke starting lovingly running her fingers through her daughter's hair. She always did this when Bella was lying next to her or when she was restless; it seemed to calm her down. "So did you have fun today?"

"Yeah. It was the best birthday ever!" Bella exclaimed, "Daddy was bouncing with me in the bouncy house and I went super high!"

"Yeah, I saw that. It looked like you were having fun"

"I was." Bella smiled, "And did you see Daddy and Uncle Nathan fight? That was awesome!"

Brooke chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "So was that your favorite part of your party. The bouncy house?"

"No" she shook her head, "It was that daddy was here"

At her daughter's answer, guilt hit her like a bag of bricks. She knew that Lucas should have been in Isabella's life from the start. Bella shouldn't have memories without her father. She had to admit that Lucas was a great dad, and he would do anything for his daughter. At least this baby inside her would be born having two loving parents.

"Mommy, what's pregnant mean?" Bella asked, pulling Brooke out of her thoughts.

"Bella, where did you hear that?" Brooke questioned. She had been wondering how her daughter found out.

"When you were talking to Aunt Haley on the phone. You said that you didn't know how to tell daddy that you're pregnant" she answered.

Oh Shit. She needed to be more careful about what she said in front of her daughter. Isabella understood and remembered a lot more than she thought.

"What does it mean?" Bella asked again.

Brooke realized that she needed to tell her. "Peanut, remember when your dad and I were dating, and you said that you wanted a baby brother or sister?" Brooke said. Remembering the day that Bella had first said it.

It was a Saturday and Lucas was over. They'd planned to have a family day at the park, but by the time he had got there, it was pouring outside. So they decided to have a lazy day and spend it at her house.

Lucas and Brooke were on the couch, watching a movie together as Bella played upstairs in her room. About half way through the movie, they kept hearing Bella's baby doll cry, and any parent with kids that had baby dolls knew; they got annoying after five minutes of hearing it.

"Ugh! Brooke sighed. Looking over, she narrowed her eyes at Lucas. "You."

He gave her a confused look, "What'd I do?"

"You got her that doll" she seethed.

Lucas started to laugh, "Brooke, it was the one she wanted at the store"

"You could've said no!"

"Oh really" he questioned, looking at her. "Have you ever tried saying no to her when she really wants something and uses those little eyes. It's like say no to an abandoned puppy"

Brooke smiled. He was right. It was those baby blue eyes that got her in trouble with Lucas in the first place.

As the baby doll continued to cry, Brooke called up the stairs. "Hey Bella, can you get that doll to be quiet, please"

They heard the sound of little footsteps coming towards the stairs. "I'm trying mommy" Bella defended, walking down the stairs, "But the baby won't shut up"

"Hey" Lucas reprimanded. He turned and looked at his daughter with raised eyebrows. "Don't say that!"

"M-sorry daddy but it won't stop crying"

Brooke waved her over. "Give it to me, I'll fix it" she said. Isabella handed her the baby doll. Brooke flipped open the back of it and switched it to 'off'. The crying instantly stopped. _'Thank God for off switches'_ she thought.

"Wow!" Bella exclaimed amazed. "Is that how real babies stop crying?"

"No" Brooke answered, then she began to laugh. "But only if that's how it worked. I would have saved so much sleep because you cried a lot when you were a baby"

"I didn't cry!" Bella said. They both laughed, and Lucas scooped Bella up in his arms. "What! You still cry." He stated, starting to tickle her.

Bella have an indignant face. "No I don't!" she argued, though she was giggling. "Oh, I think you do" Brooke agreed, starting to join in on the tickle attack. The three of them began laughing.

"Mommy, Daddy. Stop!" she giggled. Lucas and Brooke stopped and Bella sat back up. "What are you watching?" Bella asked, looking at the TV screen.

"A movie" Brooke answered, "Wanna watch it with us?"

Bella shook her head, "It looks boring"

"It is" Lucas commented. "Hey!" Brooke reached over and playfully punched his shoulder. Isabella smiled at them.

"So, do you want to take your baby doll back upstairs" Brooke said, handing Isabella her doll. Bella took it and stood up. "Hey mommy, I want a baby"

"Bella, you have like, five babies upstairs" Brooke stated, misunderstanding her. Isabella shook her head, "No, a real baby, mommy. I want a sister"

Lucas and Brooke were both surprised by this, but Brooke decided to laugh it off. "Yeah, like that's going to happen" she laughed. She loved her daughter and couldn't imagine her life without her, but she wasn't ready to have another child. She and Lucas had just started dating and weren't even thinking about having another one. Of course she wanted more children but not for a couple years. Maybe in a few years if they ended up getting married, they'd have some more.

"But momma, I want one. My friend Emma, her mommy had one and now Emma has a sister. I want a sister"

Brooke shook her head, "Isabella, it's not going to happen right now"

"But please?" she begged.

"You know what, Daddy and I will talk about it, ok?" she said, trying to pacify her daughter.

"But I want one now. Can we go to the doctors and pick one out?" she asked. Lucas practically choked of the drink he was sipping. "Pick one out?" he coughed.

"Daddy!" Bella exclaimed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "Pick a baby at the doctors. Emma said that her mommy got this big" she extended her arms as long as they would go, "And then they picked a baby out at the hospital"

Both the parents stifled a laugh. Brooke wanted to laugh, but instead she feigned in disappointment, "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you peanut, but we can't get a baby today"

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Because a baby needs a lot of stuff. We don't have anything here" Brooke answered, making up an excuse.

"We could go to the store"

"Bella, it takes a lot more than that" she stated, closing the subject.

"Oh, ok" Isabella slumped her shoulders in disappointment. She started walking away from them, towards the stairs. "Are you going back up to your room?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah" she sighed, slowly walking up the stairs; giving the perfect image of a disappointed child. Brooke and Lucas smiled at her dramatics. Knowing their daughter, she would be back to normal in about five minutes.

When they knew that Bella was in her room, they started laughing. "God, she is just like you" Lucas chuckled at Brooke.

"Whatever!" she laughed. She moved closer to Lucas, and wrapped her arm around his waist; both of them leaning back into the couch.

"But you know, maybe we should" he said. Brooke turned towards him, "Should what?"

"Maybe we should have a baby"

Smiling, she shook her head, "I don't think so, at least not for a while"

Lucas moved closer, gently placing a kiss on her lips "Well maybe we could practice now, so that we're really good when start trying for one" he whispered.

"Oh! Ok" she mumbled, chuckling a little. She placed her hand on the back of his neck and leaned towards him, kissing him. Lucas smirked, kissing her back.

There was so much excitement and promise for their relationship and future together. But that was now gone. Instead she had a broken heart and was pregnant with the man that caused it.

"Remember that?" Brooke asked. Bella nodded her head, "Yeah"

"So, pregnant means that the person is going to have a baby" she explained. Brooke could tell that the wheels were turning in her daughter's head. "Mommy, you're going to have a baby?" Bella asked.

"Yeah" Brooke answered. Isabella suddenly got a huge smile on her face. "I'm going to be a big sister!" she squealed, "And I'm going to have a baby sister!"

"Um, sweetie, it could be a boy."

"Nu-huh. I want a sister" she said, "Can you make it a girl?"

"Baby, it doesn't work like that"

Bella pouted, "I wish it did" Brooke gave her a smile, pushing Bella's hair away from her little face. "So are you happy that I'm having a baby?" she asked. Isabella didn't answer, instead she looked curiously at her stomach. "So there's a baby in there?"

"Yeah" she nodded her head.

"Can it hear me?"

"I think so" she answered. Isabella moved, so that she was right by Brooke's stomach. "Hi baby" she smiled, "I'm Bella. I'm your big sister" she then leaned over and kissed her stomach.

Brooke's heart melted at this. It was precious to see how Isabella responded to the news. It was a confirmation to her that whatever happened with regards to relationships, whether she got back together with Lucas or started dating someone else; Isabella was fine. Her _kids_ were now her number one priority. She was going to put her effort in being a good mom to Bella and focus on the new baby.

 **I hope you guys like this chapter! Remember to review and give my your opinion on what you think Brooke should have (Boy, Girl, Twins)**


	23. It's Complicated

**Hey Guys! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. I was out of town and didn't have internet access.**

 **I'm still undecided about what Brooke's going to have (Boy, Girl, Twins). So you guys tell me what you think she should have. You can always ask questions or feel free to give ideas. I respond best on my tumblr page, name is 'joylaughdream'.**

Brooke was sitting at her desk chair in her back office, working on her new line. It had been over a week since her daughter's sixth birthday. That day was such an emotional rollercoaster for her; first with the emotions that her baby getting older and then with the fact that she had told, or rather Bella had told Lucas about the baby.

She and Lucas hadn't talked about the pregnancy since Bella's birthday. It wasn't that she was avoiding it, it was just that they hadn't had time. Brooke was busy with the store and Lucas had been swamped at TRIC, working on his movie. Brooke had even had Isabella more than usual that week because Lucas was so busy. But Brooke didn't mind, she loved spending extra time with her daughter.

As Brooke had a needle in her hand, she smiled, thinking about the dress she was now working on. It was for her new clothing line 'Little Missy'. She was actually really excited for this new line. It was something that she had invested a lot of her time and energy into the last two months, and it was something she and Isabella got to share together. Brooke had included Bella throughout the whole process because after all, the line was for little girls and Brooke got insights to what Bella liked and didn't like.

Whenever she finished a new sketch or had designed a latest piece, she showed Isabella. It was fun to get an opinion from her little mini me and Bella certainly had one. Brooke smiled, thinking about their 'meeting' the previous night.

They were sitting on the couch, both the mother and daughter were working on sketches. Brooke had bought Isabella her own pencils and sketch pad. Bella was thrilled to get them because she was just like her momma.

"Alright Baby Davis, what do you think of this?" Brooke questioned, holding up her sketch. Bella looked up, studying it. "Um…let me think" Isabella said, tapping her chin.

Brooke smirked at her daughter.

"It needs more pink" Bella declared.

"Bella, the dress already has pink in it" Brooke laughed. Her daughter was all about pink!

"I know mommy, but it needs more pink. You have to accessorize it" she explained, using a word that she heard her momma say. Isabella grabbed the sketch from her mama and pointed at the drawing. "Right there. It needs pink there!"

Brooke looked at the sketch. "Well, I could add a pink sash" she suggested. Isabella quickly nodded her head. "Yeah mommy, that's what it needs"

Brooke smiled and pulled Isabella into a hug. "Now what would I do without you, Baby Davis" she said, giving her a kiss on the head.

"You'd be out of business" Bella giggled.

"Excuse me?" Brooke pulled back from the hug and looked at her daughter; eyebrows raised. "I started designing clothes way before you were born, little missy"

"But they weren't good until I started helping you"

Brooke laughed, "Oh, you think, huh?"

"Uh-huh" she nodded, "And you know what?"

"What?"

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a designer, just like you" Bella said.

She smiled, thinking back on that. That had truly touched her heart. She also had to laugh when right after Isabella said that, she added _"And I'm gonna have a bigger store and be my own boss!"_ But that was beside the point, her daughter wanted to be like _her_. That's what being a parent was about, being someone that your child looked up too, and she had that. That's all she wanted in her life, to be a good mom.

"Brooke!"

 _Now that's an example of a terrible mother_ she thought, as she heard Victoria call her name. Her mother was still in Tree Hill, looking over the store's sales or something like that. Brooke honestly didn't understand why her mother was still there, she could do whatever she needed to do from New York.

She looked up from the dress as she saw her Mother enter her office. "Brooke" Victoria said.

"Yes?"

"I was just thinking of something" Victoria started.

"Of leaving" Brooke mumbled.

Victoria continued, seemingly unfazed. "We need something fresh for Clothes over Bros, something new." Victoria said, while walking around the room. "We had such a huge boost in profits after we came out with the whole Isabella scandal." Victoria stopped and looked at Brooke. "Do you have any new scandalous secrets to reveal to the world?"

"No" Brooke answered quickly. Hell would freeze over before she told Victoria that she was pregnant again. Lord knows what she would have to say about it.

"Damn" Victoria muttered. She then noticed the piece of clothing she was holding. "Ugh, I don't know why you're wasting your time with that line"

"Excuse me?"

"Brooke, Clothes over Bros is couture, fashionable, edgy, and now you're going to ruin it with your Baby Gap line."

"It's not a Baby Gap line, Mother" she defended, "If you would actually look at the sketches and designs, you'd realize that this _is_ a fashionable little girls line"

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Clothes over Bros is the latest cutting edge fashion, we have a reputation to uphold, and I'm not going to let you ruin it with that line"

"You're not going to let me" Brooke repeated. "What about what I want to do. What lines I want to create" Brooke stated. It always felt like she had to do everything her mother wanted. Well this line was a little bit for her, but it was mainly for Bella. Isabella was the whole reason she had created this line! Why could her mother understand that!

"Brooke, we have to think of the company's best interest-"

"I can do what I want! It's my company" Brooke stated.

"Technically this is _our_ company, darling"

" _Our_ company?" Brooke questioned.

"Yes." Victoria replied. "I'm your legal partner"

Damn. She had forgot about that. Well it didn't matter, she was the one that started this company. She was the designer! "It's my company. I'm the designer" Brooke stated firmly.

"No, it's our company. 50-50." Victoria corrected, "At least it is for now."

Brooke furrowed her brow, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Designers come and go" Victoria said calmly, but her voice almost had an intimidating edge to it, "It's the brand that matters, and I grow the brand; and the brand knows that, and they can fire you!"

"So what? You're going to have a magazine called B. Davis without B. Davis" Brooke questioned, circling her face.

"Paul Frank doesn't work for Paul Frank. It happens all the time."

"Really? And what are you going to sell, mother? Magic beans?" She questioned rhetorically. "Without my designs, you have nothing! I know it. You know it. And as soon as the board sees my incredible new little girls line, which I have been working on for months by the way; they'll know it too, and you'll be the one who's out on her nip-and-tucked ass!"

"We'll see about that" Victoria said calmly.

"Get out of my office" Brooke hissed. Victoria started walking towards the door. As she put her hand on the doorknob, she turned towards Brooke. "I hope this new line is by far the best work you've ever done, or it's 'Goodbye Company, Hello Community College.' if you can get in." She said coldly, then added. "And just remember, you have a daughter to think about. Imagine the embarrassment for her when she sees her mother lose everything she ever worked for; that humiliation Isabella will have to endure." and with that, Victoria walked out the door.

Brooke shook her head in disbelief, as she clenched her fists at the same time. Her mother was unbelievable!

* * *

Lucas was at the river court, shooting some baskets. It was rare for him to have alone time at the court anymore, since the majority of his time was spent with his daughter and then working on the movie. But today he had some free time because Julian had a meeting and Isabella was with Dan and Jamie.

He shot another basket as he saw a familiar car pull up. He was surprised to see Nathan there, since most of his time was spent at Slam Ball practice. "Hey man" He greeted, as Nathan walked up to the court.

"Hey"

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at practice"

"Nah, we had practice this morning" He answered, throwing a basket. "You coming to the game tonight?"

"Yeah, Bella and I will be there" Lucas affirmed.

"Oh that reminds me, I just talked to Dan." Nathan said, "He picked up the kids from school and is taking them out to the pier. I told him to have them back at my house by five."

Lucas nodded his head. A few days after Isabella's birthday, Dan had asked if he could be more involved with Bella, stating that he wanted to be a grandfather to her. Dan had said the same thing to Nathan and Haley about Jamie. So after talking with them, Lucas had agreed to let Dan see Bella; though limited. He still didn't fully trust him.

"So what do you think of that?" Lucas asked.

"Of what?"

"Dan spending time with Bella and Jamie."

"Honestly, I don't know" Nathan admitted, "He's changed since his whole heart situation and actually seems like he wants to be a good grandfather to the kids"

"I still don't trust him. I mean the guy rejected me my whole life and now he wants to be a grandfather to my daughter."

"I don't know, maybe he's changed" Nathan offered.

"Maybe" he muttered, "You know, I just don't want Bella to get hurt. She's already been through so much lately" Lucas said, thinking about his daughter. "With Brooke and I breaking up, and adjusting to the new schedule, and now with Brooke being pregnant. I just don't want him to hurt her feelings if he walks out"

"Oh speaking of that, congratulations" Nathan smiled.

"Thanks, man"

"So how do you feel about being a father again?" he asked. Lucas gave him a look, "Terrified." He stated, then chuckled, "No, I'm excited about it"

"Yeah, another Scott running around" Nathan smiled, "You and Brooke talk about it much?"

"Not really." he replied, as he quickly ran to retrieve a basket he missed. "But I'm sure we will."

"How far along is she?"

"Um, eleven weeks, I think" Lucas answered, as he took another shot. Nathan nodded, and the two Scott brothers continued to shot baskets in silence for a few moments.

"Wow, how long has it been since we shot hoops here?" Nathan wondered, dribbling a ball.

"A long time, man" Lucas answered, throwing a basket. "Between my time with Bella and the movie, I don't get much time here anymore."

Nathan threw another basket. "God, six years ago, who would have thought that you and I would be dads now"

"I know" Lucas agreed, then laughed "And I remember that night I beat your ass out here"

"I let you win that night" Nathan chuckled.

"Oh please!" He laughed, throwing another shot. Looking around the River Court, he realized how much his life had changed. That night seemed like a life time ago, thinking back to that place in time. So much had changed since then, he was now a father and had a beautiful little girl. He was going to be a father again in a few short months. He wondered if he would have a son or another daughter. He didn't care either way as long as the baby was healthy.

* * *

Dan Scott was outside his grandchildren's school, waiting with Jamie for Isabella to come out. He had recently started spending more time with them, knowing that with his given heart condition, he may not have a lot of time to do so.

So Dan was leaning against a stone ledge, as Jamie was sitting on it. "So, how's school going?" he asked.

Jamie shrugged his shoulder, "Okay"

"Yeah I hear you, I didn't like school either when I was your age"

"Well…" Jamie started, "There's this girl I like"

Dan smiled, "Ohh, this is about a girl" He should have known, the kid was a Scott. "Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah, but I want her to like me. What do I say?"

"Well, lucky for you, women have never been able to resist a Scott man" Dan smirked, "So you just flash her that million-dollar smile, and be nice to her; compliment her"

Jamie looked over and smiled at him. Dan laughed, "Yeah, that's the one"

"So all I have to do is smile and say something nice? That really works?"

"Every time" he assured.

After a few moments, Dan looked over to the door. His granddaughter should have been out by now. "So where's Bella?" he asked, looking at his watch.

Jamie shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, she probably got in trouble"

"Yeah, does she get in trouble a lot?"

"It's Izzy" he answered, smiling. Dan chuckled, his granddaughter was certainly something else. As if on cue, the door swung open and Isabella came out. "Hi Grandpa!" she smiled, running down the stairs to them. Dan helped Jamie down from the ledge. "Hey Bella" he said, "You were in there a long time. Everything ok?"

"Yeah. I was just helping Ms. Allison" she explained, referring to her teacher. Dan nodded, "Well that was nice of you" he said, as the three of them began walking to his car.

"I didn't want to!" Bella stated, rather moody. "But she made me. She said I had to help her because I was talking too much today and I was being trouble. But I wasn't!"

Dan smirked at his granddaughter. He could see her talking too much in class. She was a lot like her mother Brooke, and from what he could remember of Brooke back in high school; she was a talker.

Jamie looked up at Dan and smiled, "Told ya".

Dan chuckled, as Bella continued. "And now Daddy's gonna be mad 'cause he said to be good today" She pouted.

"Hmm" Dan sighed, "Well did she call your dad?"

Bella shook her head, "No"

"Did she sent a note home?" he asked, as they arrived at his car. Again Bella shook her head. "Well" he began, opening up the back door, "Since no one knows, how about we keep it our little secret? I won't say anything and I'm sure Jamie won't."

"I won't." Jamie promised.

"Ok." Isabella agreed happily. Dan smiled at her, "Alright, now do you know what the best cure for a bad day at school is?"

Bella shook her head, "No"

Dan smiled at her, "Ice cream."

"Really?"

Dan lifted Jamie into his car, then turned towards Bella. "Always worked for me" he said. Isabella's face lit up with excitement. "Yes!" she shrieked, as she followed Jamie into the car.

* * *

As Brooke sat down in the chair, she sighed happily. She was at a café, drinking coffee. She needed the caffeine after spending the morning with Victoria. It felt good to just sit down, sip some coffee and relax. Stressed and exhausted would explain her week. She'd had Bella more the last week, with Lucas being busy working on his movie; and Victoria was still in Tree Hill. So with her being there, it was driving her crazy. And on top of that, she was pregnant; which made her even more exhausted.

"Brooke Davis!"

Brooke had been in her own little world when she heard someone say her name. Looking up from her cup of coffee, she smiled as she saw Julian walking towards her. "Hey" She smiled.

"Hey" Julian grinned, as he came up to her. He took a seat in the chair opposite of her. "So how have you been?"

"Good. Busy" she replied.

"How's Isabella?" he asked.

"Great!" Brooke answered, smiling. "She just had her birthday last week. She turned six"

"Ahh, I remember my sixth birthday. It's probably my favorite one" he stated.

"Oh, did you have a huge party or something?" Brooke asked,

"No" he responded, "It was first time my dad ever took me to one of his movie sets. That was the day I knew I was going to be a producer"

Brooke took a sip of her coffee, "Wow! That seems like a huge birthday"

"Yeah, it was" he grinned, "You know, I'm actually happy I ran into you". Brooke gave him a questioning look, "Oh, why?"

"Because I wanted to ask you something" Julian started. "Now I know that you're a fabulous designer-"

"Julian" Brooke interrupted, and she started to shake her head. She'd been over this how many times with him! "If this is about me designing the costumes for the movie-"

"It is" Julian interrupted her, "But it's not for Lucas's movie"

Brooke furrowed her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Look, I've been looking over some different scripts and I think I found a really good one" he explained.

"But what about Lucas's movie?" she questioned.

"I'm still going to produced it" he answered, "But I'm going to do this movie right after, and I wanted to know if you would be my designer?"

"Julian, I don't have the time. I'm trying to launch my new line and I'm busy with my daughter" she said, making up an excuse.

"It's not going to be for a couple of months, maybe a year. I'm going to finish the Unkindness of Ravens then I'm moving onto this one. I just like to get everything lined up before I begin production" He explained.

"Julian" she sighed.

"Listen, Brooke. When I make a movie, I set the bar as high as I possibly can. I put together my wish-list cast, my wish-list crew, and my wish-list designer. So I was wondering if I would be lucky enough to have the exquisite designer Brooke Davis, design the wardrobe?" he asked, then added "You told me if it was any other movie, you'd do it"

Damn, she remembered saying that.

"If it helps, Please" He begged, grinning at her. That was the first time she noticed his smile. God that was a sexy smile. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him. "How about I think about it? I'm not going to say yes yet"

"How about we have a meeting so you can look over the material; see if you want to do it?" he offered.

"Fine" she agreed.

"Would tomorrow work?" he asked.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You have anything going on?" Julian questioned. Brooke thought for a moment, "No, tomorrow I'm free"

"How about lunch?"

Brooke took another sip of her coffee, which was almost empty. "Ok" she agreed.

"Great!" he smiled. A moment later he looked at his watch. "Oh, I gotta go. I have a meeting" he said, standing up. "So I'll see you tomorrow, Brooke Davis?"

"I'll see you tomorrow" she smiled.

* * *

"Alright, one chocolate cone" Dan said, handing it down to Jamie. "And one rainbow vanilla" he handed the other to Isabella.

"Thank you, Grandpa." Bella smiled politely.

"Your welcome." Dan smiled. "Now how about we go sit over there" he said, pointing out a picnic table overlooking the water. The two little kids nodded, and Dan led them over to the table. Taking a seat, he sat directly across from his grandchildren.

"So how's basketball. I hear that your both are playing?"

"Ah-huh. Izzy and I are on the same team"" Jamie answered, as he took a bite from his cone.

"Uncle Skills is our coach" Isabella added, "Junk and Fergie were 'posed to be the coaches but daddy said that they were knuckleheads"

Dan chuckled. "Yeah, so how is your dad doing, Bella?" he questioned. He didn't talk to Lucas a lot, so the only information he got was out of Isabella.

"Busy!" Isabella answered, widening her eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Daddy's working on the movie with Julian a lot. He's always at TRIC or working on his computer" Bella said.

"Well making a movie takes a lot of work"

"Ah-huh" Isabella nodded her head, "But Daddy said that when the movie's done, I get to go with him to watch the movie, and I get to wear a pretty dress and everything!"

Dan smiled at Isabella's enthusiasm.

"Oh, and Grandpa, guess what?"

"What?"

"Momma's pregnant" she revealed.

Dan's raised his eyebrows, as this took him by surprise. Last he heard was that Lucas and Brooke had broken up, and it was something that Lucas did. He had no idea that Brooke was pregnant.

"What's pregnant mean?" Jamie asked. Isabella turned her head towards him, "It means that my mom's gonna have a baby. She told me"

"What!" Jamie's eyes widened. "You get a brother. No fair!"

"It's not a boy" Isabella stated firmly, looking very much like her mother. "It's gonna be a girl. I'm gonna have a sister"

"Well it could be a boy" Dan smirked. Bella looked over at him with a pout on her face, "But I want a sister. I don't like boys"

"But you like me and Jamie" he reasoned.

"Well you're my grandpa" Isabella reasoned, "And Jamie's my best friend. But I want a sister, I don't want a brother"

"Oh, I see" Dan smirked.

* * *

"Hello, Hales?" Lucas exclaimed, as he opened the door to Nathan and Haley's house. He had come over because both he and Haley were taking the kids to Nathan's game.

"Hey Luke, I'm in the kitchen" He heard Haley yell. So walking through the living room to the kitchen, he smiled when he saw her. "Hey! Oh, that looks good" Lucas smiled, looking at the dinner she was cooking.

"Yeah I figured I'd feed the kids before Nathan's game. I didn't want Jamie eating all that sugary junk food" she explained.

"So where are the monsters?" he asked, looking around for the two little kids.

"Jamie and Izzy are playing outside" she answered, as she opened the oven door; placing the pan inside.

Lucas walked over to the window and saw the kids playing on the swing set. He smiled as he saw Isabella scale the monkey bars. His daughter was always climbing on stuff. He swore she was half monkey!

"Yeah I sent them to go run off some of their sugar rush" Haley said.

"Oh?" he questioned.

"Yeah, well apparently Dan took them to get ice cream and then Nathan gave them some cake before he left…and you can tell" she explained with a facial expression. Lucas lightly shook his head. Bella was going to fun to deal with tonight. His daughter already had endless energy, so with the added sugar; she was going to be bouncing off the walls.

"Oh! So now that you know about Brooke" Haley began, as she walked around the counter, "I can finally say congratulations" she wrapped her arms around him, giving her best friend a hug. "I'm so happy for you and Brooke" she smiled, then added with a squeal, "And I'm going to be an aunt again!"

Thanks Hales" he smiled.

"So are you excited about being a dad again?" she asked, as they both took a seat on the kitchen bar stools.

"Um, yeah" Lucas smirked. In all honesty, he was excited about the baby. Since Brooke had told him, he couldn't stop thinking about it. It was like when she had finally confirmed that Isabella was his daughter, his mind was constantly thinking about Bella.

But he didn't know if Brooke was excited about it. Given the fact of their relationship status, he didn't blame her; but still. "Yeah, I don't think Brooke's happy about it"

"Oh Luke" she sighed, "You have to give her time to process it. You two, and Bella, and now the baby, it's a complicated situation"

"My whole life's been complicated" he stated, thinking back to all the drama with Dan, and then the love triangle thing with Peyton and Brooke, and on top of that; finding out five years later that he had a daughter."

Haley gave him a small smile. "Listen, whatever you need, I am here for you, okay? If you need someone to watch Izzy? Or need help with anything? And oh, I have still have some of Jamie's old nursery furniture, so if you need any of that, you can have it" she offered.

"Thanks, Haley" he smiled.

"So have you and Brooke talked more about it?" Haley questioned.

Lucas shook his head, "Not since Bella's birthday party"

"Well you two need to talk about it" she stated, "You have to figure out how it's going to work?"

Lucas gave her a questioning look, "How's what going to work?"

"How you two are going to raise a baby together" she responded, "Luke, taking care of a baby is totally different than raising a six-year old. You and Brooke are going to have to figure out a new schedule and everything"

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, "Wow, I didn't even think of that." He revealed. Haley rubbed his arm, "Well don't worry" she assured, standing up. "You have plenty of time to talk before the baby comes" She said as she went around the counter.

"So Nathan's taking Jamie to basketball practice tomorrow, so you don't have to pick him up" Haley informed.

"Ok" Lucas nodded.

"But you and Bella are more that welcome to come over after practice"

"Thanks, but I have a date tomorrow" he revealed. Haley's eyes widened, "Ohh, who's the lucky lady?" she asked.

"A six-year old" he chuckled, "I'm teaching Bella how to roller-blade". He had bought Isabella roller blades for her birthday, pink ones, of course! So Lucas had promised to teach her how to roller-blade, but he had been busy the last week; so between being at TRIC, working on the movie with Julian and rewriting the script at night, he didn't have a lot of time . So he'd cleared out his schedule, and planned to spend the weekend with just him and his daughter.

"Oh, that will be fun" Haley said, "Remember when you and I used to go rollerblading."

"Yeah…and you know, I think I was about Bella's age when I learned how to skate. Keith got me a pair and taught me" Lucas smiled, thinking back on that memory. Just then the back door swung open as Isabella and Jamie ran inside. "Daddy!" Bella smiled, when she saw Lucas.

"Hey princess" Lucas smirked. Isabella ran over to him and Lucas lifted her onto his lap. "How was your day, baby girl?"

"It was great!" she answered, her eyes wide.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Grandpa Dan got us ice cream!" she squealed, "He said it was the 'bestest' thing after a bad day at school"

Lucas gave her a questioning look, "What happened at school?"

"Nothing" Isabella smiled innocently.

"Yeah ah-huh" Lucas smiled, "I think a certain someone got in trouble"

"No" Bella giggled.

"Yes" he chucked, starting to tickle her.

"Daddy!" Bella laughed.

It was in that moment, as he was laughing with his daughter that made him think about his life now. Though there were some parts he'd change and some mistakes he wished he hadn't made, he wouldn't change his life; he was loving every minute of it.

 **~Remember to Review!~**


	24. Somewhere a Clock is Ticking

**Hey Guys! Again, I cannot thank you enough for all the reviews, favorites and follows. I'm extremely thankful for all the reviews and it gives me such inspiration for writing this story. Remember to feel free to give me ideas or you can ask questions. I respond best on my tumblr (joylaughdream) or link in bio! You can also PM me too! But again, all you readers and reviewers of this story are awesome!**

Lucas eyes opened as the morning sunlight hit them. Looking over at his clock, he saw that it was _8:40_. Stretching his body, he could feel little feet up against his back. Isabella must have come into his bed sometime in the night. It wasn't uncommon for this to happen, she usually did it if there was a storm or if she had a bad dream.

Carefully turning over onto his other side, he had to smile when he saw his daughter. Bella was sleeping horizontally on the bed, with her feet digging into his back. She was wearing his t-shirt as a nightgown, and had her stuffed animal bunny tucked under one arm and her baby blanket tucked under the other.

He'd have to wake her up soon. Isabella had a basketball practice at ten, and he still had to get her up, make some kind of breakfast for the both of them, and get them out the door in time. Reaching over, he gently rubbed her back. "Sweetheart" he quietly. Bella's eyes started to flutter open. It took her a couple seconds to fully open her eyes. "Hey baby girl" Lucas smiled, when she looked over at him.

Isabella didn't say anything, instead she stretched; having an identical pose that her father had had moments earlier. She crawled over to her daddy, still holding onto her bunny. Lucas held out his arms and pulled Bella toward him.

"Morning peanut" he smiled. Bella snuggled into his chest, as he gave her a kiss on her head.

"Morning daddy" she mumbled, rubbing her eye with her balled up fist.

"Did you have a bad dream last night?" Lucas asked, wondering why she had come into his bed. Bella shook her head, "Nu-huh. I had the 'bestest' dream ever, Daddy"

Lucas smirked at her. "Yeah. What was it about?"

"You and Momma got married!" Isabella smiled, her face filled with happiness.

Lucas's heart sunk when she said that. Bella wanted her mom and dad together, like most children would; but Lucas felt bad, knowing that he was the one who had screwed that up, making his daughter's dream nearly impossible.

"Oh really?"

"Ah-huh. I got to be the 'flowered' girl and my dress was _so_ pretty. It was sparkly and it was _pink_! And guess what? The cake was chocolate and it looked like a basketball!"

"Ha!' he laughed. The dreams of his daughter! "Speaking of basketball. We need to get up and moving, baby girl."

"But why?" Isabella whined, moving farther into the blankets. She tucked her stuffed bunny firmly under her arm. She didn't want to get up and didn't know why her daddy was making her.

"You have basketball this morning" Lucas answered, standing up.

Isabella quickly sat up, tossing her bunny to the side. "Is my first game today?" Lucas lightly shook his head, "No, today is just a practice."

"Daddy" Bella complained, "When am I gonna have a game?"

"It's tomorrow, Bella"

"Really?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Ah-huh. You're Uncle Skills wanted you guys to have one more practice before tomorrow's game, so his team can be undefeated." He said, though he had to chuckle at the last part. When he had talked with Skills a few days ago, Skills had said that he wanted to have one more practice before the game; stating that with this being the first time he had coached the Crows, (the name of her team), he wanted them to be undefeated.

Lucas had to laugh at that, it was a lot to ask of five and six year olds.

"What's undefeated mean?" Bella asked.

"It means that your team wins every game"

Isabella's eyes got wide, "Yeah Daddy. I want that too!"

"Come on you little monster, let's go eat some breakfast. Then we'll leave"

Bella stood up on the bed. "Daddy, can we have pancakes? Please?"

Lucas chuckled. What was with his daughter and pancakes? Whenever she was at his house, she always asked for pancakes. He knew that part of it was that Brooke didn't cook breakfast…or cook in general.

"You and your pancakes, kid!" Lucas laughed, starting to turn around.

"Wait!" she said. Lucas stopped as Bella carefully walked over to him. "I wanna piggy-back ride!" she smiled, holding her arms out. "Oh, alright you goof" Lucas smiked, turning around. Isabella hopped on his back, and giggled as he walked out of the bedroom.

* * *

"Peyton, here you go" Brooke said, placing her cup of coffee on the counter. Since it was Lucas's weekend to have Bella, and she didn't have to go into the store; Brooke invited Peyton over that morning. It seemed like she hadn't seen her best friend in forever, and she wanted to catch up with her.

"Thanks" Peyton grabbed the cup. "God, it seems like forever since you and I talked"

Brooke nodded in agreement, "I know. We really need to hang out more often"

"We always say that" Peyton laughed. Brooke scrunched up her face, "Say what?"

"Say that it's been forever and that we need to hang out more often" Peyton answered, "But man, does life get in the way"

"Tell me about it" Brooke said, half laughing and half serious. "So how are things with you? The label, and Jake and Jenny?"

"Oh my God, things at the label are great; I'm busier than ever. I'm working on all these new demos and I'm recording an album with Mia. Things with Jake are awesome! And Jenny's such an amazing kid." Peyton rambled. There was so much happiness and enthusiasm in her voice that it made Brooke smile. It was great to see that Peyton was so happy.

"Oh, what's this?" Peyton asked, she had gone over and taken a seat on the couch and now she was looking at the piles of sketches Brooke had on the table. "Is this that new line you were telling me about?"

"Yeah" Brooke answered, as she walked over and took a seat next to her. "You're looking at Clothes Over Bros very own little girls line, _Little Missy_ " She smiled, gesturing her hands over the sketches.

"It got approved by the board?" Peyton asked hopeful, looking up from the sketches.

Brooke face dropped slightly. "Well, technically not yet."

"When's the meeting?"

"Next week."

"Oh man, these clothes look amazing. I'd love to get some of these for Jenny, I've been meaning to find her a flower girl dress" Peyton said, causally saying the last part.

"Look at P. Sawyer taking on the mom role—Wait!" Brooke's face suddenly turned to excitement. "Did you say flower girl dress?"

Peyton gave a sheepish smile and held up her left hand. One gold band and decent sized diamond ring occupied her third finger.

Brooke was speechless was she looked at it. "You're engaged?" she gasped out.

"Yeah" Peyton nodded.

"Is it to Jake?"

Peyton widened her eyes, giving her the obvious answered.

"Oh my God, you're getting married!" Brooke exclaimed. She reached over and enveloped her best friend in a hug. "When did he ask you!? When are you getting married? Why didn't you tell me!?" she rushed to questioned.

"He asked me a few days ago" Peyton answered, as Brooke was practically drooling over her ring. Brooke head shot up, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how to tell you, with everything that happened between you and Luke, and now with you being pregnant…"

"Peyton" Brooke stopped her, "I'm fine, honest."

"Really?"

"Yes" And as she said this, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "Ow." Wincing, she grabbed her stomach. Peyton looked at her concerned. "You ok?"

"Yeah" she managed to answer weakly, as she was breathing threw the pain. It was awful and it felt like someone had stabbed her in the stomach.

"Brooke, seriously. Are you ok?" She knew how tough Brooke was and how she wouldn't admit to being in pain.

"Peyton, I'm ok" Brooke answered honestly, as the pain had now subsided.

"Well you should really get that check out? Do you think the baby's ok?"

Brooke nodded, though on the inside she wasn't quite so sure. "Um, yeah, I think so" She said more to herself than Peyton.

"How have you been feeling though? I know that you were dealing with morning sickness-"

"Thank god that's subsided" Brooke said relived. That had been the worst part of this pregnancy. It was even worse than when she was pregnant with Bella. But thankfully she was now approaching her second trimester, and the morning sickness was subsiding. "But I've been feeling pretty good"

"Well that's great" Peyton smiled, taking a sip of her coffee.

Brooke looked at her, eyebrows raised. "What?" Peyton questioned.

"Are you going to tell me how he asked you?" Brooke asked. She loved having all the details!

"Oh it was so romantic" Peyton exclaimed, her voice filled with filled with excitement. "He took me out to dinner, then we went to the Fall Out Boy concert in Charlotte; which I saw Pete again, by the way. Then-"

As Brooke was hearing Peyton go on and tell her everything, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness, and maybe even a little anger. Not at Peyton of course, but at Lucas. They should have been the ones getting married, they'd even talked about it when they were dating. This should have been them.

* * *

"Daddy, can I go outside now?" Isabella begged.

Lucas looked across the kitchen table at his daughter. They had just gotten back from basketball practice and since then, Bella had been begging to go outside and rollerblade. But Lucas had made her eat lunch first, and to Bella; it was like waiting hours to go outside and play.

"Are you finished?" he asked, referring to her lunch. "Ah-huh" she nodded quickly, "I'm finished, see?" she showed her plate to him.

"Bella, you still have a few more bites left"

"But dad, I ate most of it and that's yucky" she stated, dramatically pointing to the strawberries that were left on her plate.

"Since when do you not like strawberries?" Lucas questioned.

Bella scrunched up her nose, "These ones just taste yucky!"

Lucas looked at her. He could remember being her age and not liking everything his mom made him, and there was a lot since his mom was always trying new recipes on him. "Fine, you can go outside" he agreed, "I'll be out there in a minute"

"Yay!" she shrieked, as she quickly scrambled off the chair and ran towards the front door. "No running in the house" Lucas chided. But apparently it fell on deaf ears as Isabella continued running to the door. "I'm gonna ride my bike" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Stay on the sidewalk" he admonished. Seconds later he heard the front door close with a 'bang'. _That girl has one speed_ he thought, as he grabbed her plate. It took only a matter of minutes to clean up the remnants of their lunch, and soon he was walking towards the front door.

As Lucas stepped out onto his front porch, it felt like his heart stopped. He watched as Isabella, who was on her bike, come barreling down the sidewalk. It wasn't the speed she was going that scared him, it was the fact that his daughter wasn't wearing a helmet. Hundreds of scenarios went through his head. What if she fell off and hit her head. She could get a concussion? Or get a cut and need stitches?

"Isabella Karen" he said sternly, walking down the porch steps. Bella pedaled her bike over and stopped in front of him. "Yeah daddy?"

"Where is your helmet?" he asked, looking down at her with raised eyebrows.

"Um" she started to mumble, giving the perfect image of a child that had just been caught red-handed.

"Isabella?"

Bella slumped her shoulders, "It's over there" she said meekly, pointing towards the pink helmet that was laying in the grass. Lucas went over and picked it up. Walking back over to his daughter, he scolded "Isabella, I've told you before, you have to wear a helmet"

Lucas put in on her head, and as he was buckling it; she whined "But dad, it's itchy and I don't wanna wear it"

"I don't care" Lucas admonished, "You wear your helmet if you're riding your bike or scooter, or stuff like that, ok?"

Isabella pouted and crossed her arms. "Mommy doesn't make me wear it at her house."

"I highly doubt that." he scoffed.

"She doesn't!"

Lucas looked down at his daughter. He had noticed recently that Isabella would say things like this. Either it would be that Brooke let her stay up past her bedtime, or she didn't make her clean her room; it was like she was trying to play them against each other. Of course he knew that it was bound to happen with Bella living in two different households. But it was still hard to deal with; it fact, it was probably the hardest part of co-parenting.

Crouching down to his daughter's level, Lucas looked at Bella. "Bella, I know that your mom makes you wear one when you're at her house and that's because Mommy and I want you to be safe. So that means whether you're here, at Mommy's, or at any other house; you have to wear a helmet, ok?"

Bella nodded her head in resignation.

"If I see you without a helmet again, you're going to sit in a time-out and you're bike's going to be taken away for a week" he threatened.

"Ok" Bella's lower lip then began to quiver. "I'm sorry daddy"

"Hey, come here" Lucas said gently, picking up Isabella from her bike. He held her in his arms. "Baby girl, it's fine. Just don't ride without one again. Mommy and I want our baby to be safe"

"I'm _not_ a baby!" Bella protested. Lucas gave her a puzzled look. "Really?" he joked.

"No. I'm six and six isn't a baby! A baby is what mommy's having." Bella carefully explained. She didn't like it when people called her a baby!

"Oh ok" Lucas chuckled as he lifted her up and sat her on the porch step. "So are you excited for your baby brother?" he teased, knowing Bella insisted that Brooke was having a girl.

"Daaddyy!" She exclaimed dramatically. "It's not a boy. It's a girl"

"Oh you think, huh?"

"Yes." Bella nodded her head once. "I'm gonna have a little sister, and she's gonna be my 'bestest' friend." She started to explain quickly, "We're going to have tea parties and play dolls, and I'm gonna teach her how to play basketball and everyth-"Bella stopped, suddenly sidetracked as her daddy was putting something on her knee. "Daddy, what is this stuff?" She asked, now looking at all the things that were laid out on the porch.

Lucas had gotten all sorts of protective gear for Bella; knee-pads, elbow-pads, wrist guards. He put out all the stops on safety when it came to his daughter. If he could, he probably would have wrapped her in bubble-wrap too.

"It's the stuff that's going to protect you, peanut" Lucas replied, putting her knee-pad on.

"Do I have to wear _all_ of this?"

"Yep" he answered, putting the other knee-pad on. When he was finished putting on her other gear, he helped her put on her rollerblades. "Daddy, they're beautiful!" Bella exclaimed, looking at her new skates.

Lucas smiled at his daughter, "Yeah, you like them?"

Bella nodded her head, "Ah-huh"

"How do they feel?" he asked, looking to make sure they weren't too big or small for her. "They feel fine, dad" Bella answered quickly, "Now can I skate, please? I've been waiting _forever!_ "

"Alright, alright" he chuckled. Lifting her from the step, he carried her over and gently set her down on the sidewalk. "Whoa!" Bella exclaimed, as she went forward; but Lucas held onto her around the waist, making sure she was ok. "It ok peanut, I've got you"

Bella turned her head and looked up at him, "Daddy, promise you won't let go" she pleaded; fear clearly written on her little face.

"I promise, baby girl" Lucas reassured, and then he reached down and gave her a kiss on the side of her head, adding "I'll never let you go". There was more to that statement then what Isabella could comprehend. Since the moment Bella had come into his life, he had promised to himself that he would be a great father, and _never_ be out of Bella's life again. The five years he had missed was too long in his opinion. He would always be in his now children lives.

* * *

Millie was standing behind the front desk at Clothes Over Bros. She was on the computer going over inventory. The bells to the door chimed and she looked up; seeing Alex Dupre. She was surprised to see her in the store considering everything Brooke had told her that went down between her and Lucas. "May I help you?" Millie asked rudely, when Alex came up to the counter.

"I'm here for a meeting"

"I highly doubt that. Trust me, you're not on Brooke Davis's favorite list" Millie insulted.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I'm not here to see her" She explained. She wasn't very fond of Brooke either. Alex was still hoping that Lucas would want her. She'd been still trying to impress him whenever they were on the movie set. "I'm here for my meeting with Victoria"

"Victoria?" Millie repeated.

"Yes, with me" Victoria voice came. She walked out to the front of the store from Brooke's office. "Hello Alex"

Millie gave a confused look to Victoria. What was she doing with Alex Dupre?

"Hello Victoria" Alex smiled, a fake smile.

"Ah, you're right on time. Ready?"

"Yep" Alex nodded, she then started walking back to the office where Victoria had indicated.

"What are you doing with her?" Millie questioned to Victoria. She didn't know if Brooke had told Victoria about Alex.

"Excuse me?"

"What is she doing here? Does Brooke know about any of this?"

Victoria's eyes narrowed, "And why does she need to know?"

"It's her company-" Millie defended.

"Oh I'm sorry" Victoria started, her voice threatening. "I didn't realize that you had a say in this company. Because last I heard, you're only an assistant. An assistant who can be easily fired and replaced if she doesn't keep her nose where it belongs."

Millie shrunk back, as Victoria turned back on her heels; walking back to the office with Alex.

* * *

Lucas sat in the grass, watching as his daughter was rollerblading on the sidewalk outside his house. He had been outside, teaching Isabella how to rollerblade for the last two hours.

"Look at you, princess, you're skating by yourself already" Lucas smiled, as she skated by him. Isabella just smiled, beaming with pride. As he was watching her, he heard the phone ringing inside. Standing up, he looked over to Bella. "Hey Bella, I'm going to get my phone. Are you ok to stay out her by yourself?"

"Yeah daddy, I'm fine"

"Ok, I'll be right back. Stay on the sidewalk" he cautioned, and turning around; he ran inside the house. Hurrying to the kitchen, he grabbed his cell phone. Seeing it was Julian, he answered it. "Hello?"

 _"_ _Hey Lucas" Julian said on the other end._

"Hey Julian"

 _"_ _So um, could you come down to the movie set?" Julian asked._ Lucas thought that was odd, they never really worked on weekends. Julian knew that he had Isabella on weekends. "No I can't"

 _"_ _I really need to talk to you and I think it would be best to explain it here" Julian insisted._

"Julian, I have Bella today. I really can't come down there. Why, what's up?"

 _"_ _Ok so listen, my dad called a little while ago. He's been fired"_

"Wow. That's too bad. How's he taking it?"

 _"_ _Well, he's taking it was a huge cash settlement and an overall production deal" Julian answered, and in the background, Lucas could hear Adam Reese come on the speaker phone._

"Well, so he's good" Lucas said. He walked over to the window to check on his daughter, and saw her happily skating down the sidewalk.

 _"_ _I don't think you understand, Luke-"_

 _"_ _Well boys" Adam interrupted, "It's been a good run. At least I'm getting paid!"_

Lucas furrowed his brow. Wait! What was going on? "What do you mean good run? What's going on, Julian?"

 _"_ _Nothing" Julian lied._

 _"_ _What's going on is the movie just died, Luke" Adam said bluntly. "Our movie just died, and you just lost your three-hundred thousand dollar production bonus."_

Lucas was in shock! It was like his whole world was falling apart. "Is that true, Julian?"

 _"_ _When a studio head is terminated, most of the projects that aren't shooting yet go into turnaround" he explained calmly._

"Okay. Um," Lucas stuttered, as he was trying to wrap his head around this. "W-what's turnaround?"

"It means they put things on hold." Julian basically lied.

 _"_ _Tell the truth, Julian. Come on" Adam insisted, "Listen Luke, it means that your movie's dead, done, over. It's like they're all in the first grade. When the new guy come in, he doesn't want to play with the old toys; he throws them out, buys his own toys"_

 _"_ _No, not always." Julian defended, "Not always. This movie got love from a lot of executives that are still at the studio, so just give me a second, hang tight Luke."_

 _"_ _You do that" Adam said, and moments later Lucas could hear him walk away. "This movie's so over!" he heard in the background._

"Julian"

 _"_ _Look Luke, I'm gonna make some calls, okay? I'll do everything I can to fix this" He assured, "Let me call you back later. I'm meeting up with one of my designers this afternoon and I'll call you tonight"_

"Ok" he said. He didn't bother to say anything else, instead he just hung up the cell phone in his hand. The movie was over. Everything he had worked so hard for in the past few months was now just a waste of time. The time, the energy. He had ruined a relationship with Brooke over this movie! It seemed like everything was now falling apart.

All of a sudden, he heard the unmistakable screams of his daughter coming from outside. He looked up in alarm. "Bella!" he yelled, and dropping the phone on the table, he ran outside.

* * *

Brooke was driving along in her car, listening to Simple Mind's _'Don't You Forget about Me'._ Peyton had left her house about an hour prior and now she was on her way to meet up with Julian. She couldn't believe that Julian conned her into designing his costumes. But she had to admit that there was something about Julian that made her smile. Maybe it was the way they talked the night she got drunk at TRIC? Maybe it was how they'd become friends since her breakup with Lucas? Maybe it was his smile? Maybe it was just _him_?

Suddenly Brooke heard her phone ringing. Reaching over in the passenger seat, she grabbed her phone and saw who is was. _Lucas_. She knew it was about Bella; that was the only reason why he would call her. But she decided to let it go to voicemail. She knew that he would end up asking her what she was up to, and she really didn't want to tell him that she was meeting with Julian. It's not like she had anything to hide, it was just the fact that she didn't want to tell him.

Throwing it back in the seat, she focused back on the road. Not even a mere one minute later, it starting ringing again.

She could see that it was him calling again. That was odd, he almost never called her twice. Oh shit, what if something was wrong with Bella?

"Hello" she said, answering the call.

" _Brooke_ " Lucas said, panic evident in his voice.

"Lucas, what's wrong?" – _Pause_ \- "is she okay?" – _Pause_ \- "Oh my God! I'm on the way" Brooke immediately hung up the phone and carelessly tossed it in the other seat. Going up to the next light, she made a U-Turn and started driving her car in the opposite direction; putting some pressure on the gas petal.

Brooke's thoughts quickly forgot about the meeting with Julian. Nothing matter right now except her daughter. What was wrong with her daughter? Was her baby going to be okay?

* * *

Within ten minutes, Brooke was running through the halls of Tree Hill Doctors office. Lucas had told her that he'd taken Bella there. After a quick stop at the front desk to get the number of her daughter's room, Brooke rushed quickly through the halls.

Coming upon room 14, Brooke opened the door to the exam room; where she saw her baby was sitting on the exam table, with Lucas next to her. "Baby girl" Brooke said gently, as she rushed over to her.

"Mommy" Isabella exclaimed, looking up at her.

"Hey Brooke" Lucas said.

"What happened?" Brooke asked, looking at Bella's left arm that was propped up on a pillow; looking horribly bruised. She looked at Bella, and it broke her heart when she saw that she had some tear stains on her face.

"I 'falled' on my arm and it hurt, so daddy took me here" Isabella answered. Brooke turned to Lucas for a real answer. "Luke, what happened?"

"I was teaching her how to rollerblade this afternoon and she fell on her arm." He explained. "They just took an x-ray and they think she may have broken it"

Brooke hitched a breath and looked over at Bella. She felt bad for her daughter. "The doctor's looking it over, I guess" Lucas added.

"Oh Baby" Brooke gently brushed the hair away from Bella's face. "Are you ok?"

Sniffling, Bella nodded her head. "Ah-huh. I was scared when I 'falled' but I yelled for daddy and he came outside"

"He came outside" Brooke repeated. She then looked up at him. "Lucas, did you—was she outside by herself?"

"Yeah"

"What!"

"It was like, five minutes. I had to run and get my phone inside." He defended.

Brooke's eyes flashed with anger. "You can't leave a six-year-old outside by herself. What were you thinking?" she hissed. He'd been in Bella's life for over nine months now. Had he now just suddenly forgotten what it was like to take care of a little kid?

"Oh please Brooke, don't stand there and get angry at me. Can you honestly say that you've never left her outside to play before?"

Brooke started absentmindedly shaking her head in anger, partly because Lucas was right. She had left Isabella outside by herself if she had to run in and grab something, or if she was making a meal. But this was different. Bella never got hurt and needed to go to the emergency room when she was with her.

"Well at least I watch her" she said in spite, the she turned towards her daughter. "Baby when you fell, did you get hurt anywhere else? Did you hit your head?" Brooke asked, looking over to Bella since clearly Lucas wasn't watching her baby girl.

Lucas rolled his eyes at Brooke. What did she think, that he didn't care about his daughter?

"Yeah mom, I hit my head" Isabella informed, nodding casually.

Brooke looked up at her in surprise. "What?" she exclaimed, then quickly started to look over her daughter's head for injuries. As she was looking, she narrowed her angry eyes over at Lucas. But Lucas looked just as surprised, "Wait! Bella, you didn't tell me you hit your head"

"It didn't hurt, daddy" she said, then she looked up to Brooke. "Momma it didn't hurt 'cause I was wearin' a helmet." She then pointed her finger at Lucas with a pout. "Daddy made me wear it!"

Brooke couldn't help but smirk with amusement at the way Isabella was looking at Lucas. "Oh he did, did he?"

"Ah-huh. And he said that if I didn't wear it, I'd have a time-out and my bike taken away for a _week_!" Bella explained indignantly. Brooke looked at Lucas and her anger started to dissipate, and her expression soften at him. She knew she shouldn't have gotten angry at him. Lucas was a great dad and he did care about his daughter.

"Well that means you have a good daddy then, huh?"

"What?" Bella questioned, confused to why her mommy didn't agree with her.

"Isabella, I've told you before that you have to wear your helmet"

"I did Mom" She pouted indignantly.

Brooke smiled at her daughter when suddenly, she felt the pain in her stomach again. Tightening her stomach muscles, she tried to breathe through it.

"Brooke, you ok?" Lucas asked, noticing that she looked like she was in pain.

"Um, yeah. I'm fine" she said quickly. She didn't want him to worry, though she herself was becoming concerned. Was her baby okay?

"How are you feeling?" he questioned, "How's the baby doing?" It wasn't uncommon for him to ask this. Lucas often asked about his unborn child, wanting to make sure that he was doing whatever possible for Brooke. Whether that be taking care of Bella more, or making sure Brooke was feeling ok.

"I'm doing fine and as far as I know, this little guy is doing ok too" Brooke answered honestly. Until she knew what was causing her pain, she'd go off what she knew from her last doctor's visit.

"When's your next doctor's appointment?" He wanted to know so he could be there. He meant what he said to her the day she told him. He wanted to be there for every doctor's appointment he could.

"Next Tuesday at eleven o'clock"

"Ok, I'll be there" he promised.

"Can I come? I wanna go with you guys" Isabella asked. Both parents looked down to their daughter. "Yes, you can come" Brooke smirked.

Suddenly they heard a cell phone ringing. Brooke could tell it was hers from the ringtone. Digging through her purse, she pulled out her phone. She could see that it was Julian calling. Damn it! She had completely forgotten about their lunch meeting.

"Um, I'll be right back" she said, walking over to the door. Lucas nodded and Brooke left the room. Lucas was confused though. He had seen who was calling her. Why the hell was Julian calling Brooke?

"Hello" Brooke said, answering the phone. She was standing in the hallway.

 _"_ _Hey Brooke" Julian smiled, "I've been sitting here at the restaurant-"_

"Yeah I know, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot about our meeting. I'm actually here at the doctors with Bella."

 _"_ _Oh my god, is she okay?" he asked concerned._

"No really" she answered honestly, "It looks like she broke her arm"

 _"_ _Oh that's awful. Is there anything I can do?" he asked. He had known Bella for a few months now and he loved the little kid._

"No, she'll be fine. But I just feel bad that I forgot to call you"

 _"_ _Don't worry about it" Julian reassured. "We can met up sometime next week, ok?"_

"Ok"

 _"_ _Alright well I'll let you get back to her, and tell IzzyBelle that I hope she feels better" He said, using the nickname he'd come up for her. "I'll talk to you later, Brooke."_

"Ok."

 _"_ _Bye"_

"Bye" she said, hanging up the phone. She felt bad that she had completely forgotten about the meeting. She was actually really looking forward to meeting up with Julian and going over costumes designs. But right now, all that mattered was her daughter. She needed to find out what was wrong with Bella's arm.

Opening the door, she stepped back into the room. Walking over, she stood next to Bella again.

"Who was that, Momma?" Isabella questioned.

"Um, it was a business call baby" Brooke answered. She didn't feel that Bella, or Lucas for that matter; needed to know that it was Julian.

Lucas glanced up at her. He knew that it was Julian that she was talking to. How was that a business call? His thoughts raced to conversations he had with Julian in the past. He never said anything about her and business. He then thought about that night he saw them at TRIC; when they were talking and laughing with one another. Was something going on between them?

His thoughts were interrupted when he they heard a knock on the door. The door opened, revealing the doctor. "Hi, sorry to keep you waiting" he apologized. The doctor closed the door and walked over to them. "Ah, you must be mom?" he assumed, referring to Brooke.

"Mm-hmm" she nodded, "I'm Brooke"

"I'm Doctor Sanchez. I specialize in pediatric orthopedics" he introduced, then he started opening up the folder in his hand. "And today must be the day for arm injuries" he chuckled. Lucas and Brooke gave him a questioning look, and he explained "Your daughter is the fourth patient I've seen today for an arm injury"

Lucas nodded, "So is her arm ok? You said before that it might be broken?"

"And it is" Dr. Sanchez confirmed, revealing the bad news.

Both parents heart sunk at that moment, feeling bad for their daughter.

"Unfortunately" Dr. Sanchez began, as he put the x-ray on the up light board to show Lucas and Brooke. "Isabella fractured her ulna bone"

"What does that mean?" Brooke asked.

"Basically it means that she fractured her forearm bone, and you can see it right there—see that line" he explained, pointing to the x-ray. Both parents could clearly see where the break was in their baby girl's arm.

"Fortunately though, it wasn't a complete break. It's more of a hairline fracture. So Isabella won't need surgical pins or anything like that. No surgery. It was a pretty clean fracture" Dr. Sanchez said.

"So what treatment will she need?" Lucas questioned.

"A cast"

Brooke sighed. Although she was happy that Bella didn't need surgery, having a cast on a six-year-old wouldn't be fun. "For how long?"

"3-4 weeks" he answered, "So no rollerblading, bike riding, sports; basically anything that could cause further damage"

"I'm never rollerblading again!" Bella stated, shaking her little head. Both parents smiled at her.

"Well at least not for a few weeks" Dr. Sanchez chuckled. He looked up to Lucas and Brooke. "I'll have my associate come in and do up her cast. It'll be a few minutes because she's working on another little guy's arm. But don't worry about your daughter, these little guys are elastic and she'll be healed up and back to running around and climbing trees in no time"

Lucas smirked. Knowing his daughter, that statement was true.

"Alright well I have another patient waiting for me, so I'll see you back in a few weeks. You can set up her appointment to get it removed with the front receptionist."

"Thank you" Both parents said, then Dr. Sanchez left the room.

Isabella looked up at Lucas with big sad eyes. "Daddy, is it gonna hurt?" she questioned, her voice having a hint of whine in it. Lucas looked down at his daughter and felt every ounce of sympathy for her. "No Peanut, it won't hurt. You'll be ok. You have me and mama right here."

Bella chose to look over at Brooke. "Mommy, I wanna go. My arm doesn't hurt anymore"

"Bella, we can't go" Brooke explained, as she looked down at Isabella's arm. She could tell her daughter was lying because there was no way that her arm didn't hurt. It made Brooke wince just looking at it. It was bruised and you could tell something was off about it. Lucas had made a good call taking her in here.

"We have to get your arm in a cast" Lucas added.

"What's a cast?"

"It's this thing that…it keeps your arm from moving." He tried to explained, but it was a hard thing to explain to a six-year-old. "But you know what? You can draw on it."

"Really?"

"Ah-huh." He nodded. "People can even sign their name on it too" Brooke added, trying to make it sound cool.

"Ok" Bella sighed. It was quiet in the room for a moment until Bella started to whimper.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Brooke questioned.

"I wanna go home. I don't like doctors and I don't wanna be here anymore" Bella whined, as she was working herself up. Both Lucas and Brooke knew about Isabella's fear and anxiety at the doctors. She was like this whenever Brooke or Lucas had to take her for a checkup, or when they had the appointment about her heart a few weeks ago.

Both parents could see tears welling in their daughter's eyes as she began to move herself off the exam table.

"Isabella" Lucas started, as he righted her back on the table. "Princess you have to stay up here"

"No!" Isabella cried. "I wanna go home!"

"Hey Bella, what did you do with daddy this weekend?" Brooke asked out-of-the-blue. Lucas looked over at Brooke, confused by her question.

Wiping her nose with her good arm, Bella sniffed and look at her mama. "Huh?"

"What did you do with daddy this weekend?" Brooke asked again. She was trying to get Bella's mind of the impending cast. She had learned this technique when Isabella was four. Brooke had been in a business meeting with Macy's when she got the phone call that her daughter was being taken to the hospital. Apparently Bella's nanny at the time had taken her to Central Park and chose to be on her phone instead of watching as the four-year-old decided that she was going to slide down the metal slide backwards.

That resulted in Bella needing four stitches in the back of her head. Brooke was at the hospital by the time Isabella and the nanny got there, and Brooke was with her daughter that whole time; which ended up being four hours. Brooke had picked up the technique when she was trying to calm Bella down.

Needless to say, Isabella's nanny was immediately fired, and Brooke learned some 'mom' techniques; a new solution to calm her daughter down, and how to hire a suitable nanny.

"I was roller-bladin' with daddy and got hurt" Isabella pouted. Brooke wanted to smile at the look Bella was giving her and Lucas. It was too cute. "Well besides that, what did you do last night?"

"Um" Bella sat there for a moment, thinking. "Me and Jamie got ice cream with Grandpa Dan after school"

"Was that fun?" she asked, though she was not particularly thrilled that Bella was spending time with Dan. Lucas had talked to her and they both agreed that she could; though limited. Brooke didn't trust Dan and didn't want her daughter around him that much.

Lucas looked over at Brooke and smirked. He now understood what she was doing now.

"Ah-huh. I got a three scoops of chocolate ice cream! And Uncle Nate gave me cake too!" Bella squealed. Brooke smiled. _Great Sugar!_ She thought, that was just was her daughter needed.

"Then daddy and Aunt Haley let me and Jamie watch Toy Story and guess what?" Bella stopped, and waited till she got the response from her momma of 'what?'.

"The movie ended an hour past bedtime! Well, that's what daddy said." Both Lucas and Brooke chuckled at her.

"Then this morning Daddy made pancakes, and then he took me to basketball practice"

It suddenly dawned on Lucas that Isabella wouldn't be able to play basketball. Oh shit! This wouldn't go well with his daughter. Isabella loved basketball and had been looking forward to playing in her first game. Internally groaning, he leaned his head back and sighed. _Why did this have to happen before her first game?_

"Mama, are you gonna come to my first game tomorrow?" Isabella asked. Brooke too was having the same realization as Lucas. "Baby, we'll talk about this when we get home" she answered, trying to defuse the question.

"Are you gonna come? It's my first game!" she asked again.

"Isabella, we'll talk about it later" Lucas gently admonished.

"But why?"

"Because I said that we'll talk about it later" He repeated.

"But I wanna know now, Dad!" Bella pouted. She tried to cross her arms but stopped and let out a yelp when she hit her bad arm. "Ow! Owie" she cried out.

"Bella, you have to be careful sweetheart" Brooke gently chastised.

"I was" she whined, a pout on her face. Bella then became quiet as she looked down at her arm. "Hey daddy, how am I 'posed to dribble with a bad arm?" Bella asked curiously, looking up at Lucas.

Lucas was at a loss on how to answer that. "Well princess…you can't"

"I can't play basketball?" Bella questioned with big sad eyes. Brooke was firing glares to Lucas, clearly telling him not to answer that. Isabella was already emotional from the accident and being at the doctors; so being told that she couldn't play the game that she loved would set her off.

But Lucas seemed to miss her warning and replied, "Not until you get your cast off"

"B-but it's my first game tomorrow" Bella sniffed, her eyes again filling with tears. Her mind started to comprehend what her daddy was saying and her tears turned to full out sobbing. "I don't want it!" she cried. "I d-don't want a cast. I wanna go home!"

Seeing that Isabella was so worked up, Brooke hopped up onto the exam table and scooped her up into her lap, though she was mindful of her injured arm. She held her daughter in her arms and rubbed her back soothingly. "Shh baby. It's fine" she whispered.

"No it not!" Bella sobbed, "I wanna play ba-basketball and I d-don't wanna cast!"

"I know baby, I know" Brooke continued to rub the small of her daughters back and whisper soothing words of comfort in her ear. Lucas looked at his baby girl and felt helpless. There was nothing they could do, Bella needed a cast. He felt guilty for all of this since he was the one that was teaching her how to skate.

Walking over to the small table, he grabbed a box of tissues "Here" he handed it out to Brooke.

"Thanks" she said. She took one and started to wipe the tears of her daughters face, all the while Bella was still sobbing.

"Baby girl, it's going to be ok" Lucas soothed. "Honey, you have to calm down" Brooke added, as she gently pushed the hair out of Bella's face. Isabella was hot and sweaty from all the crying.

"Nooo!" she sobbed. "I w-wanna play ba-basketball"

They left her cry it out for a few minutes, while Brooke rocked her in her arms. Both their hearts sinking for their daughter. After a while when her crying hadn't cease, Brooke knew that she needed to calm down before she made herself sick. "Bella" she coaxed, speaking softly.

Bella didn't respond.

"Bella" she tried again, this time placing her finger under her chin; making Bella look up at her. "Baby, you have to stop crying"

"B-but I w-wanna plaaayy" Isabella cried.

"I know but you need to calm down" Lucas said.

"But-" Bella started but Brooke shushed her. "Shh, baby. It's fine, no more crying" Both parents attempted for the next few minutes to calm their daughter down. After a little while, Bella's sobs turned to hiccups.

Brooke was still rocking her daughter when she heard the door open. The doctor came into view, wheeling a cart with her. She smiled broadly as she shut the door. "Hi" she smiled, "I'm Dr. Rodney, but you can call me Savannah. I'm Dr. Sanchez's associate." She wheeled her cart over to the exam table. "I hear someone took a fall today and got a pretty bad owie"

Bella nodded, still clinging to Brooke.

"Alright well I'm going to put a cast on your arm so we can make it all better, ok?" she said gently.

"I don't want it!" Bella whined, a few tears falling down her face. Brooke started rubbing her back again, praying that she didn't have another full on meltdown like she had had a few minutes prior.

"I know but I'll try and be really quick, ok? You can even stay there on your mom's lap while I put it on" She said, turning to her cart. Brooke smiled, she could tell this doctor was a pediatric one and knew how to work with children.

"Do you want to pick a color" Dr. Rodney asked, holding out a few different colors of the cast strips. Isabella didn't answer, instead she turned her head to Brooke's chest and continued to cry. "I d-don't want it" she sobbed.

The doctor looked to Lucas and Brooke for an answer.

"Pink" they answered simultaneously. They knew their daughter's favorite color.

Forty-five minutes later, Lucas carried Bella as he and Brooke were walking out of the building. It had been two hours since Lucas had taken her there and it seemed to both parents that it had been the longest two hours of their lives.

Isabella had put up a fight for the cast to go on her arm, but had quit crying once the ordeal was finally over. After some quick instruction to Lucas and Brooke for how to take care of Bella's cast, they were finally allowed to leave. Isabella had immediately clung to Lucas's neck and he carried her out of the building following Brooke.

Brooke stopped walking and stood on the sidewalk a little ways from the main door. Lucas stopped and stood by her with Bella. "Ok Bella, who do you want to go with? Me or Momma?" Though it was technically his weekend to have her, he wanted his daughter to choose who she wanted to go with.

"I wanna go with mommy" Bella decided, holding out her one arm to her Brooke; wanting her to hold her. Brooke obliged, and took her from Lucas. Adjusting Bella on her hip, she stated, "Wow, it's been a long day"

"Yeah, and it's not even three o'clock yet"

"Seriously!" Brooke questioned surprised. She looked at her watch and saw that it was only two-forty three. "It seems like we were in there forever"

"Yeah" Lucas agreed and even Bella nodded her head.

Brooke glanced down at her daughter and noticed that her eyes lids were beginning to droop from sleepiness. She could tell that Isabella was tired and she expected that she would be; given that fact of the meltdown that she had that afternoon. "I think a certain someone is gonna take a nap when we get home."

"I don't need a nap, I'm not tired!" Bella protested while rubbing her eye.

"Yeah uh-huh" Brooke softly laughed.

"I'm not" She argued, as she laid her head on Brooke's shoulder. Both Lucas and Brooke chuckled at their stubborn little girl.

"Ok well I'm gonna take her home" she said, "Bella say bye to your Daddy"

"Goodbye daddy" Bella mumbled sleepily in Brooke's shoulder.

"Bye Baby girl" Lucas smiled, giving her a quick kiss to her forehead. Brooke gave him a small smile and said "Alright Luke, well I'll call you later. We can talk about her and stuff"

"Ok"

"Bye" She smiled, and then she turned around and carried Bella across the parking lot to her car. Lucas stood on the sidewalk, watching as _his_ girls left.

 **~Remember to Review~**

 **I'm not a doctor, so I'm sorry if the medical stuff isn't accurate (Though I know from personal experience how they set a cast.)**

 **Again, remember to review and check out my tumblr (joylaughdream) for sneak peeks or one-shots for this story!**


	25. Quiet Things that No One Ever Knows

**Hey guys. I'm sorry that it's been six weeks since the last update. Life has not been playing in my favor lately. I've been super busy lately with graduating, and I've been having health problems that limit my physical ability to write. So it's out of my control and I'm sorry. I really want to write and I have a ton of stories and ideas flying around in my head.**

 **So I've been having a lot of people asking and commenting about this story; is Julian still in this story? I don't want Julian; Let Brooke and Lucas be back together; and so on. Yes, Julian is in this story. Hence the title and summary.**

 **I do realize that the readers of this story are either Brucas or Brulian, and maybe some are in between. I do want to set something straight though for all my readers. The way I'm approaching Brooke and Julian's relationship is very different from the show. I'm not going to rush it and it's going to progress in a different way. This is obviously because of Isabella and the baby.** ** _Rest assured, there are still going to be a lot of Brooke and Lucas moments as they go through the ups and downs of parenting and the pregnancy._**

 **Remember you can always see sneak-peeks into chapters and one-shots on my Tumblr page (joylaughdream) or link in bio!**

"Mama!" Isabella shouted, walking down the stairs still in her Cinderella pajamas. She rubbed her eyes as she looked around for her mom. "Mom, where are you?!"

"I'm in my room, Bella." Brooke called back. Isabella turned and hurried through the family room. Opening the door to her mama's room, Bella ran into the room. "Morning mommy!"

"Good morning baby" Brooke smiled, as she looked at her daughter through the mirror. She was standing in front of her full length mirror, a pair of black skinny jeans on and her shirt pulled up to her chest.

Bella went over and climbed up on the bed. Turned around and sat down; looking at Brooke. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just looking at my tummy" Brooke said, turning sideways in the mirror. She was about thirteen weeks and you could see a small bump over her toned stomach.

"Why?" Bella questioned.

"Because I want to see how big the baby is."

"How big is it?" Bella asked.

"Um, it's still pretty little." Brooke answered, not sure herself. Isabella looked at her puzzled, "Like my doll?"

"It's smaller than your baby doll, Bella." She explained.

Isabella's eyes got wide. "Wow! The baby is really, _really_ small!" she said astonished. Brooke turned around and smiled at her daughter. "Uh-huh."

"So how big is your tummy gonna get?"

"Here, I'll show you." Brooke went to the side of her bed, grabbing a pillow. Returning to the mirror, she stuffed the pillow underneath her shirt. "Uh, about this big-" She answered, turning around for Bella to see.

"Whoa!" Bella's eyes opened as far as they would go, as she stared in amazement. "That's humongous!"

Brooke smiled a smile that only a mother could. Kids always had the _best_ compliments to give. "Wow, thanks for the compliment, Belle." She retorted, as she took the pillow out of her shirt and tossed it at her daughter.

Bella started giggling and purposely rolled off the bed, while not so gracefully landed on the floor.

"Be careful baby, you don't want to break your other arm." It had been a few days since the memorable trip to the ER. Isabella had a bright pink elbow cast on her left arm, and would have it on for a couple weeks.

"I won't." Isabella stated. She got up and went over to Brooke's vanity, looking at all the makeup. "Ohh" she smiled, picking up the lip-gloss. "Mommy, when can I wear makeup?"

"When you're older" Brooke answered.

"But I'm six! That's old, Mom…well, it's old, but it's not _really_ old like you and daddy."

Brooke raised her eyebrows playfully. What was with her daughter with the wonderful compliments this morning! Walking over to her vanity, she leaned down and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "First of all, I am not old, missy" she stated, as she began tickling her.

"Uh-huh. You're old, mommy" Bella giggled.

Brooke laughed, "I am not."

"Mm-hmm" Isabella nodded, then she turned her head and looked up at her with a puzzled look.

"What?" Brooke questioned.

Isabella squinted her eyes. "Momma, why do you have a grey hair?" she questioned with a sly smile. "What?!" Brooke quickly looked in the mirror. She saw that her dark brown hair was still indeed dark brown; and it should be, she was only twenty-three! She looked back to her daughter, "why you little—how do you even know about grey hair?'

"Daddy" Isabella smiled, then broke out into a fit of laughter.

That made Brooke just smirk. Isabella was such a little stinker! "Well if I do get grey hair one day, it's going to be from you, little one."

"Na-huh." Bella argued in her high-pitched voice.

"Ah-huh." Brooke argued back, using the same voice. She then turned Isabella towards the door and gave her a playful swat to her bottom. "Go get dressed you, little heathen."

Bella giggled and left the room to do as she was told. As she was running through the family room, she heard a knock at the front door. "I'll get it mama" the six-year-old shouted, and going over, she opened the door. She looked up curiously when she saw Julian standing there.

"Hey Izzy" Julian smiled. He was holding a coffee carrier, holding three coffee cups.

"Hi Julian" Bella smiled, then she turned her head over her shoulder and shouted "Mommy, Julian's here!"

"I like the whole bedhead thing you're rocking there" he teased. Isabella gave an outraged face, "Hey! My mom didn't do it yet and I can't 'cause I got a cast" she held up her injured arm.

"Yeah your mom told me that you hurt your arm" he said, shutting the door and following her over to the kitchen. "How's it feeling?"

"It's ok" Bella replied, shrugging her shoulders. She went over to one of the kitchen bar stool and tried to climb onto it but couldn't because of her cast. "I need help."

"Here, I'll help you" Julian set the coffee holder on the counter and he lifted Bella up onto the stool.

"Thank you" Bella said politely.

"Your welcome and here-" he grabbed the smallest cup out of the carrier, "One small chocolate Frappuccino with extra whip cream." He said, handing it to her.

"Thanks, Julian" Bella smiled. Julian grinned at her just as Brooke came out of her bedroom, "Hey" she smiled, seeing Julian.

"Hey"

"Mom, look! Julian got me a frap-uh-sheen-o" Bella tried pronouncing the word. Brooke laughed, it was hilarious to see Isabella tried to pronounce words. It had become increasingly difficult for the six-year-old since she had recently lost both of her front teeth. Every words had a lisp to it.

"Yeah, I see that." Brooke smiled with a little shake of her head. Her daughter didn't need caffeine. Bella was already active enough without the coffee. Brooke glanced over to Julian, giving him a look.

"What?"

"Coffee for a six-year-old. Really?"

Julian grinned, "Its decaf. And I got you one too" he grabbed the other cup and handed it to her. "A latte, extra foam."

"Ohh" Brooke smiled, taking the cup. He definitely knew her favorite coffee. Taking a sip, she asked "So what are you doing here? I thought we were meeting tonight?" After their canceled lunch meeting last week, they rescheduled it for tonight at her house.

"Yeah we still are but I thought I'd dropped off some character references and a little revised script so you had something to look at and work off of for the wardrobe sketches" he explained.

"Oh, thanks" she smiled. She hadn't even thought of that. She'd been busy the past few days, working on her Little Missy clothing line since she was meeting with the investors and board that week. It was always stressful when she was preparing for a meeting. And on top of that, she had to take care of her daughter, and Isabella really couldn't do a lot for herself since she had a cast on her arm.

"I also wrote down how some of the characters appearances are supposed to be and their personalities" Julian added.

"Ok" Brooke nodded, as Julian handed over the folder to her. As she was grabbing it, her eyes met his in a way that hadn't happened before; and for a moment, they just stared at each other.

"Julian?" Isabella said, interrupting the moment. Julian quickly looked down to Bella. "Yeah Izzy?"

"Do you want to sign my cast?" She asked, holding her arm up. "All my friends have signed it. Look! Jamie did, and Jenny did too. Oh, and Auntie Peyton wrote her name here-"Bella pointed out the different names on the cast.

"Yeah Izzybelle, I love to sign it." Julian grinned as she finished, using his special nickname he gave her. Isabella smiled, then looked over to Brooke. "Yes!—Mom, can you get the special markers?"

"Sure, baby" Brooke went over to the fridge.

"Special markers?" Julian repeated, as he watched Brooke grab a basket on top of the fridge. She put the basket on the counter and Julian smiled as he understood. They were permanent markers.

"Julian, what color do you want?" Bella asked, leaning over and rummaging through the basket.

"Um, well I like green, or blue" Julian answered. Isabella grabbed a marker out of the basket and held it up. "How 'bout black because it's chic."

Brooke laughed. She didn't even know if Bella knew what chic meant. "It's chic, huh?"

"Ah-huh." she nodded, "Black compliments everything!" Bella exclaimed, her eyes as big as her personality.

Julian grinned, "Well than I'll have to use this one. Where should I write my name?" he asked.

"Right here! So I can see it." Bella pointed and then she handed him the marker.

As Julian was writing his name of Bella's cast, Brooke smiled at him. Julian was such a good friend and he was so good with her daughter.

"There!" Julian finished.

Bella looked at it and smiled. "Mom look-" she showed her.

"Wow" Brooke noted.

Julian stood up. "Alright, well I gotta go. I'll be back later and we can discuss the designs and stuff. You said six o'clock, right?" he clarified. Brooke nodded, "Yep."

"Ok, well I'll see ya" Julian turned towards Bella. "Bye Izzybelle" he said, ruffling her hair.

"Julian!" Bella exclaimed.

Julian laughed and started walked towards the door. When they heard the door shut, Isabella looked back to Brooke. "I like him" she smiled.

"What?" Brooke questioned.

"I like Julian. He brings me coffee!" Bella said in an enthusiastic tone.

Brooke smirked. "You don't need coffee, little missy"

"But it's _so_ good! It's like…the food from the gods!" Isabella stated. That made Brooke laugh. "Oh my god" she rolled her eyes. "You've been spending way too much time with Haley." She grabbed her latte off the counter and went to go start working on her sketches.

* * *

Brooke was sitting down in her kitchen sketching some ideas for Julian's new movie wardrobe. She had looked over the papers that Julian left and was actually getting a lot of inspiration off of them.

While she was sketching, she heard little footsteps come into the room. "Mommy" she heard her daughter say.

"What baby?"

"I'm bored" Isabella complained, going over to the couch. Brooke laughed, "You're six. How can you possibly be bored?"

"Because I am!"

"Well, why don't you go upstairs and play in your room?" Brooke suggested, while she continued sketching. She had learned over the years of being a mom at the same time as a successful business woman that you could continuing working while carrying on a conversation or dealing with a whining kid. If she stopped at every interruption, she'd never finish anything.

"I can't" Bella stated.

"Why can't you?"

"Cause I got a cast!" Bella stated.

"Bella, you can still play even with your cast on"

"But it's too hard and 'sides, I don't wanna play upstairs" she complained.

"Why don't you do watch some TV?"

"There's nothing on." Bella complained. Brooke turned her head and looked at her daughter; raising her eyebrows as she did so. She saw that Bella was hanging upside-down, leaning over the back of the couch. "Ahem!"

Bella looked over to her. "What?"

"Isabella, sit on the couch the right way please" Brooke reprimanded.

"Why?"

Why? She thought. The better questioned was-why did her six-year-old always have to question everything. "So you don't fall and break your other arm" Brooke explained.

"I won't!" Isabella said sassily.

"Isabella" Brooke warned. Sighing heavily, Bella righted herself and sat on the couch. "I wasn't gonna fall" Bella mumbled.

Brooke rolled her eyes. Isabella was definitely six going on sixteen. What was she going to do when she actually had to deal with a teenager? Well, at least she could have a glass of wine when that day came. Right now with her current state; she couldn't. Looking down at her stomach, she thought _'Yeah, it's because of you, little one. You're depriving mommy of her wine!'._ Shaking her head lightly, Brooke turned back to her work.

"Mom?"

"What?"

"Can I go outside and play?" Bella begged, turning around and kneeling on the couch; looking at her momma.

"No."

"Why?" she questioned.

"Because I'm working Bella" Brooke reasoned. Bella huffed, "I can play outside by myself, mama"

"Not happening, little missy" Brooke stated firmly. There was no way that she was letting Bella play outside by herself, especially since she had a cast on her arm and because of what happened the last weekend. Knowing her daughter, Bella would try riding her scooter or try climbing on something; risking injuring her arm further, or worse, breaking the other one.

"But I wanna go outside" she whined.

"No."

"But mommy, I wanna play!"

"Isabella, I said no"

"You're not being fair." Bella argued with a pout.

"Isabella" Brooke warned, her tone having an edge to it. She was quickly losing her patience with her daughter. Bella didn't argue further and quietly sat back down on the couch. She knew that tone of her mama's voice.

Brooke breathed a sigh of relief when it became quiet. For the next few minutes she worked on the sketch, finally completing the one. Putting it to the side, she took out a sheet of paper to begin another one when she heard noise coming from the kitchen. Turning around in her chair, she saw that Bella was standing on the counter, reaching for something in a cabinet.

Getting up, she sprinted to the kitchen. "Excuse me?" Brooke said playful but warningly, as she lifted her daughter off the counter. "And what are your doing, little monkey? Are you trying to get into trouble and get a time-out today?"

"No!" Bella answered quickly, as Brooke put her to her feet. She didn't like time-out! "Mama, I was getting a cup" she explained quickly, giving her face of pure innocence.

"Oh, Mm-hmm" Brooke nodded. The cabinet that Bella was trying to get to was the one that she kept Isabella's left over birthday candy in. "But aren't the cups over there?" she questioned, pointing to the cabinet on the opposite wall.

Isabella shrugged, "I don't know"

Brooke was beginning to call Julian's bluff. He have had to of giving her daughter caffeine. Isabella seemed extra energized that morning. "Remind me to never give you coffee." Brooke mumbled.

"Huh?" Isabella looked up at her mom puzzled.

"Nothing, baby."

It was then that Brooke decided to give up trying to sketch that morning and focus on her "bored" daughter. She could always work later anyways and it seemed that Bella was needing her attention. So she reached down, picking Bella up and sat her on the counter. "Ok, so what do you want to do today, Baby Davis?" she asked, "We have the whole day…well, let me rephrase that, we have about an hour since your dad's picking you up at 11:00."

"Why is daddy picking me up?" Bella questioned, her face puzzled.

"Because its daddy's night, and he's taking you to the basketball game in Charlotte"

Bella's face turned to one of excitement. "Oh yeah, I forgot" she smiled widely.

"Remember how your dad said that he wanted to take you there since you couldn't play in her first game?"

Isabella had been upset, you could say, about not being able to play in her first game. The day after the ER visit was her first game and she refused to go with Lucas to it. She had been cranky and petulant that day too, and she ended up in a few timeouts. But Lucas felt bad because he was the one that caused it, so he promised to take her to a real NBA basketball game.

"And I think Nathan and Jamie are going too." She added.

"Can I wear my cheerleading outfit to the game?" Bella asked.

"Your Raven's cheerleading costume?" she asked. Isabella nodded her head.

"Well baby, it might be too small. I made that for you almost a year ago and you haven't worn that in a while." She informed. But when she saw Bella's little face fall she added, "But if it fits, you can wear it."

"YES! I'm gonna go get it now" Isabella moved to jump off the counter and ended up hitting her cast against Brooke's stomach.

"Ow!" she cried, her little arm was still sore.

And at the same time, Brooke was wincing as she felt pain in her stomach. It was the same pain she'd been experiencing. It wasn't as painful as it had been in recent days, but it was still concerning nonetheless. She was going to ask the doctor about it at her next appointment.

"Bella, are you ok?" she questioned, looking over her daughter's arm eventhough she couldn't see anything since it was covered in a cast.

"Ah-huh...mommy, are you ok?" Bella asked, concern and confusion written on her little face. Brooke nodded, "Yeah Bella, I'm ok"

"Momma, you look hurt"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked again.

"Yes, I'm sure" Brooke assured. She never once in her life thought that she'd have to reassure her six year old that she was ok.

Bella glanced down to the floor. She knew for sure that her momma was fibbing. But what she couldn't figure out, was that her mommy told her it was bad to lie. So why was her mom lying?

She was quiet for a moment before looking back up at Brooke. "Mommy, why aren't you coming with us tonight?"

"Because-" Brooke started, tucking a piece of Bella's hair behind her ear. "Julian's coming over here tonight"

"Why?"

"Because he and I are having a business meeting." Brooke answered.

"Is that like work?" Isabella asked.

Brooke nodded, "Yep." Then she asked "What?" when Bella made a face. Isabella scrunched up her nose. "Yuck! Work!"

Brooke laughed, "And what do you know about work?"

"I do school work at school and its sooo boring!" Bella complained, leaning her body back for emphasizing; as Brooke held her.

"Well that's just because you're so smart." Brooke smiled, bring her back up.

Isabella's teacher had said that Bella had tested well above her little classmates, and that they wanted to do farther testing on her to see if she could get placed in the next grade, or maybe, even go to a different school. Brooke knew that her daughter got that all from Lucas.

Isabella smiled and flounced her shoulder, "I know, mommy."

Brooke rolled her eyes. Yep, her daughter got her brains from Lucas and her personality from her. Isabella was definitely a combination of the both of them.

In the recent weeks, she was beginning to wonder what the little guy inside her would be like. Would he be more like Lucas, or would she be more like herself. She hadn't decided yet if she was going to find out the gender of the baby. She and Lucas still had some things they needed to talk about, but she figured they'd talk at her upcoming doctor's appointment the next day.

She then lifted Bella and put her to her feet. "Alright little miss personality," She gave Bella another playful swat to her bottom and said "Go to my bathroom and get the nail polish stuff"

Isabella's face lit up with excitement. "Really?" she asked.

"Yep. I'll doll you up before you go out with daddy" Brooke smiled. Bella shrieked with delight and took off towards the bathroom.

* * *

Lucas and Isabella were in the car. He'd picked her up from Brooke's and was heading over to Nathan and Haley's. Both he and Nathan had planned to take Bella and Jamie to the Charlotte Bobcats game. It was the first professional game the little kids had been too, so they wanted them to experience it together.

As usual, Bella had been a chatterbox in the car; talking nonstop in the fifteen minutes it took to get to Nathan and Haley's. She'd told him about her day and everything she did including what TV shows she watched and when she played with her Barbie dolls. "Oh, and daddy, me and mom did makeovers and she painted my nails."

"Well that sounds fun"

"It was." Bella affirmed. "And guess what?—I got to stay in my jammies all morning! Then mama made me get dressed. I wanted to wear my cheerleading outfit to the game but I put it on and Mom said it was too small. But it wasn't!" Bella said, a pout forming on her lips.

"That Raven's cheerleading outfit your mom made you?" Lucas questioned. Didn't Brooke make that for her like, a couple months ago? It was when he took her to her first Raven's game?

"Uh-huh. But daddy, it fitted me! And I told mom that but she still said no." She pouted. Lucas smirked at her indignant pout. But thinking back, it _had_ been almost a year since that game. He couldn't believe that he'd been in his daughter's life for that long. It seemed like just yesterday Brooke told him that he was Isabella's father.

"Dad, why are we here?" she asked, looking out her window.

"Because we're picking up Uncle Nathan and Jamie" Lucas answered, as he was pulling up Nathan and Haley's driveway. Isabella furrowed her brow, as Lucas put the car in park.

"But I thought we were meeting them at the basketball game?"

Lucas got out of the car, and then slid the seat forward; allowing space for Bella to climb out. "Nope, they're riding with us" he explained. Isabella let out a squeal and tried to hurry out of the car, but found it difficult to get out of her booster-seat with her cast. "Ugh!" she twisted and squirmed in the seat.

"Whoa, whoa. What's the hurry?" Lucas chuckled, as he reached back into the car to help his struggling daughter.

"I gotta go tell Jamie 'th-omething'" Bella answered, her two missing teeth causing a lisp.

"'Th-omething" Lucas mocked, smiling at her. Bella pouted, "Daddy!" though she too was starting to crack a smile. Lucas laughed, as he freed her of the seatbelt. As she started to move, Lucas caught a glance of her cast. "Hey, wait a second! Whose name is that?" he asked, catching her arm.

Bella looked down. "Julian's." she replied. Lucas furrowed his brow in confusion. He hadn't seen Julian in over a week. Isabella had only got her cast a few days ago. When the hell did Bella see Julian?

"When did Julian sign it?"

"This morning." Bella answered, then smiled. "And guess what? He got me coffee! And he got mommy coffee too. But then mommy said that she's never giving me coffee again, but I don't know why-"

Ignoring her rambling, Lucas asked "Where did you see Julian this morning?". Bella sighed dramatically, like the answer was obvious. "Daddy, he came to mom's house."

That made Lucas even more confused, though he was started to become a little suspicious. "Why was Julian there?"

Isabella shrugged, "I asked mommy and she said it was work stuff, and that's why they're having a business meeting tonight." She answered.

"They're having a business meeting tonight?"

Bella nodded, "Yeah daddy. That's what she said."

Lucas moved back to allowed his daughter to get out of the car while he was silent. Brooke was having a business meeting with Julian. What business could they be doing? His mind raced flashed, racing through images of the two of them and remembering the phone call Brooke had received at ER a few days ago.

He was definitely beginning to question if something between them was going on. The more he thought about it, he was beginning to feel anger overtake him. Had Julian just been using him to get to Brooke all this time?

"Daddy, are you ok?" Bella asked.

Lucas shut the car door. "Yeah princess, I'm fine." He assured. For once he was happy that his daughter was a blabbermouth. Isabella couldn't keep a secret to save her life and was always a nonstop chatterbox. Maybe he could get his daughter to tell him what was going on at Brooke's house.

"Hey Luke." Haley smiled, as Lucas and Bella walked into the kitchen. "Hi Izzy."

"Hey Hales"

"Hi Aunt Haley" Bella smiled.

Haley glanced down at her niece, "Wow! Don't you look pretty, Izzy!" she smirked. Bella was wearing a bright blue frilly skirt with multi-colored leggings, a grey leopard shirt and a rainbow scarf. And to top it all off, she had pink converse shoes on.

Isabella twirled in her skirt and beamed, "Thank you Aunt Haley. I dressed myself today!"

"I can tell." Haley laughed.

Lucas just smiled at his daughter. He had to laugh that when he picked Bella up from Brooke's house, Brooke was stating that she couldn't wait till Isabella got out of her 'picking out her own clothes' phase. It was hilarious to see Brooke and Isabella; fashionista mother and free-spirited daughter.

Though Lucas didn't care what his daughter wore. It was fascinating to him to see Isabella's personality changing. It amazed him how much it seemed to have changed in this last year that he was a part of Bella's life. Soon she'd be graduating kindergarten and going into first grade. To Lucas, it seemed like time was just flying by.

"Oh, and Aunt Haley look!" she exclaimed, running behind the counter over to Haley. "My mom did my nails too."

"Wow, very pretty!" Haley smiled.

"Where's Jamie?" Bella asked, looking around for her cousin.

"Um, I think he's upstairs." Haley guessed.

"I'm gonna go find him" Bella said, quickly leaving the kitchen. Lucas and Haley watched as she ran through the living room. "JAMIE! JAMIE, I'M HERE! IT'S IZZY!" Bella shouted as ran up the stairs.

Lucas smirked as he shook his head lightly. "That child has one volume" he stated.

"Ah, well, in that regard she's just like Brooke." Haley smiled, thinking about how energetic and bouncy Brooke usually was.

Lucas chuckled, "Yeah." He leaned against the counter, his mind focused on Brooke…and this news that his daughter shared. He glanced up to Haley. "So, um, have you like noticed anything going on with Brooke?"

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, I don't know" He started in his high-pitched voice. He walked over to the counter and took a seat on the bar stool. "It just seems like—do you think that she's dating someone?"

Haley laughed, "Who could she possibly be dating? This is Tree Hill."

"Well Bella told me in the car that Brooke said Julian was going over there tonight" he told.

"Lucas Scott!" She gasped, "Are you using your daughter to find out information about Brooke?" she accused.

"No" he defended, though rather weakly. "But Haley, do you think that Brooke's dating Julian?"

Haley leaned against the counter and thought for a moment. "Well she hasn't told me anything—but Luke, you can't get upset if she decides to start dating again. I mean, it's her choice, it's her life."

"Yeah." He sighed, wishing that he hadn't been so foolish three months ago. He had the girl of his dreams right there, again, and he screwed up.

"Hey! Look what monsters I found upstairs!" Nathan exclaimed, as he was descending down the stairs; carrying Jamie and Isabella upside down. Lucas turned and smirked at them.

"Daddy!"

"Uncle Nate!"

Nathan gently set the little kids down on the couch, and strolled over to the kitchen. "Hey Luke"

"Hey man." Lucas said, "Ready for the game?"

"Oh yeah—and look what I got for the road" Nathan smirked. Going over to the cabinet and pulled out a bag of gummy bears.

"Gummy bears!" Isabella squealed as she was looking over from the back of the couch. She and Jamie ran over to him. "Can we have some now, Uncle Nathan?"

"Yeah dad, can we?"

"Yeah, sure guys." Nathan smiled, crouching down and opening the bag. Lucas looked at his brother like he was crazy. "Dude, seriously?!"

"What?"

"Gummy bears?"

"What? I like gummy bears" Nathan reasoned innocently. Lucas shook his head with a chuckle, "I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the kids" he pointed out.

"They like them. Look!" Nathan stated, not understanding what he was saying.

"Nate, we're going to be in the car with them for the next two hours." he explained. But Nathan brushed it off, "Dude, they'll be fine. A little sugar never hurt anyone."

"Yeah Daddy, I'll be fine." Bella assured him, as she was chewing on her gummy bears. But Lucas could help but slightly cringe. Isabella and sugar did not mix.

"Hales, we gotta start giving Jamie some miracle grow or something" Nathan said, as he stood up; looking at his son.

"What?" Haley laughed confused.

"Look how much shorter he is next to Bella" he pointed out. Haley and Lucas both looked at the two little kids. And it was true, he was a lot shorter. Even though Isabella was a few months older than Jamie, she was a good couple inches taller than him. Bella had definitely gotten her physical attributes from Lucas.

"Sorry bud, you take after your mom there." Nathan said to Jamie.

"Hey!" Haley exclaimed, "I am not short."

"Hales, you are so tiny that I could pick you up and throw you across this room like a basketball." Nathan laughed.

Haley just rolled her eyes and chuckled. "So do you have your tickets for the game?"

"Uh, yeah" Nathan said, and then he started looking around. "They're-"

"Right here" Haley smiled, holding them up.

"Oh, thanks babe" he smirked, taking them from her. He looked over to Lucas "So Luke, you ready for front row seats" he asked, acting like an excited school boy. The last time he'd been to a Bobcats game was when he and Lucas were in high-school.

Lucas grinned, just as excited. "This is going to be awesome."

"So what time will you guys be back?" Haley asked.

"The game starts at two, so probably around eight or nine." Nathan replied, "Uh, Luke, do you have to bring Bella back to Brooke's house tonight?"

"Yeah, but I already told her that I'd be back a little late." He answered.

"Alright Jamie Scott, you be good for your dad, ok?" Haley warned lovingly.

"Yes, momma."

"Come and give me a hug goodbye." She said, holding arms out. Jamie went over and quickly gave Haley a hug. "Bye mom."

"Bye buddy."

Jamie ran to Bella. "Come on, Izzy. Let's go out to the car." He hurried to say. "Yeah." She agreed, and the two kids ran towards the front door.

"Guys wait—"Lucas started to say, but Isabella and Jamie were already out the door. "Alright, bye Hales. See you later." he said, as he went to follow the kids.

"Bye babe" Nathan said, leaving to follow his brother.

"Have a fun time!" she exclaimed, as they walked out the door.

* * *

"Damn it. Come on!" Brooke mumbled, as she was on her tip-toes reaching in the cabinet for a bag of pretzels. She was having a strong pregnancy craving for something salty and she just happened to have pretzels at her house.

She jumped up a little bit and managed to get hold of the bag. "Ah-ha" She smiled, lowering the bag. She moved over to the other cabinet and grabbed a bowl; pouring some of the pretzels in the bowl.

Taking a bite, she smiled blissfully. When she was pregnant with Isabella, she always craved sweet stuff, like chocolate or cupcake. But with this pregnancy; it was everything salty. Though what was unusually to her, was that with Bella, she didn't start having cravings until she was almost 5, 6 months along. But with this baby, the cravings seemed to have come _really_ early. But she accredited that to the fact that this was her second pregnancy.

Knock, Knock!

That would be Julian. Setting the bowl on the counter, she went over to the door. "Hi." She smiled, opening the door.

"Hi Brooke."

"Ready to get to work?" she asked, as she moved to the side, letting him walk inside. "I've been working on some sketches"

"Great!" he smiled, setting down on the counter.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Um, I actually brought some wine" he offered. Brooke paused. He must not have known that she was pregnant. "Uh, I-I have iced tea here." She said awkwardly, "But if you want-"

"No, no. It's fine. Iced tea sounds great" he grinned.

"Perfect! I'll get you some." She smiled.

* * *

"Whoa, look how big it is!" Bella exclaimed, looking at the massive gymnasium. They had finally arrived at the Bobcats gymnasium. And both she and Jamie were looking around the gym amazed, being captivated by the lights and noises. "Dad, look at the huge TV!" Isabella pointed at the screen. Lucas smiled at her excitement. He could remember being the exact way when Keith took him.

"Man, this place is packed." Nathan commented, looking around at the huge crowds of fans.

"Yeah." Lucas agreed. It was definitely going to be hard to keep track of Bella. And his suspicions were confirmed not even a minute later when Bella shrieked "Look at that!" and then she took off a few feet in front of him, going over to the railing that enclosed the gymnasium.

"Isabella!" he scolded, going after her. He caught her and scooped her up in his arms. "God, Bella, you can't run off like that."

"Daddy, I was just looking at him" she pointed to the Bobcats mascot on the court.

"I know, princess" He righted her in his arms so that he was holding her properly. Lucas then looked straight into his daughter's eyes, making sure he had her attention. "But Isabella, you _have_ to stay by me. I'm serious, I don't want you wandering off like that; there are a lot of people here."

"Ok, dad." She promised. So Lucas carried her back over to Nathan.

"Come on, Luke. Let's head to our seats" Nathan said. He held Jamie's hand, and he and Lucas started making their way down the stairs.

"Daddy, what's that guy's name?" Jamie asked. Nathan looked to where he was pointing. "The mascot?"

"Yeah."

"Um" Nathan wracked his mind, trying to remember the name.

"Isn't it Rufus?" Lucas remembered. "Yeah, that's it." Nathan said.

"Dad, look at the cheerleaders" Bella smiled, intrigued by the cheer moves.

"Yeah" Lucas smiled back, as they arrived at their seats. He sat Bella down in the seat next to Jamie; so that he and Nathan were on the ends. They had managed to get practically front row tickets, so they were basically right on the court.

"Daddy, is this where were sitting?" Bella asked amazed.

"Yeah." He answered, grinning at his daughter's face. Isabella looked around. "You ok?" he smirked. Bella was never this speechless.

"Daddy! We're right by the court!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Yeah well, I promised to make it up to you, princess, for your arm getting hurt."

"Thank you, daddy!" She shrieked, crawling over the chair and giving him a hug. "You're the 'bestest' daddy ever!"

"You're welcome, princess." Lucas smiled, hugging his daughter back.

* * *

Julian put the sketches on the counter. "Well I think these designs are great." He stated.

"Yeah?" Brooke smiled.

"Yeah" he confirmed, smiling back at her. "Now all I have to do is try and push for production."

"So this movie isn't going to be made for like what? A year?" she asked.

"Uh, no. Actually, it moved up on the production list and will probably beginning in five or six months."

Brooke reached for the bowl of pretzels that she had left on the counter. "So what about Lucas's movie? When's that going to be done?"

"Um…"Julian paused. He glanced over at her with a perplexed look on his face, and with hesitation; he questioned, "Lucas didn't tell you, did he?"

Brooke munched on a handful of pretzels. "Tell me what?"

"Uh…his movie got canceled." He revealed. Brooke stopped eating. "What?"

"Yeah, his movie lost the studio's backing, so it went into turn around. But it's basically over. "

"When did this happen?"

"Last week" Julian replied.

Brooke was quiet. Why didn't Lucas tell her? She had been around him a lot in the last week with Bella's injury, so why didn't he tell her? "Well that's too bad." She muttered.

"Yeah it is" he agreed, "Because I was really looking forward to telling your story" Julian said. Brooke looked at him curiously, "Oh?"

"I just feel like with the novel; you, your story, just had a bigger meaning—like it's about everything that you, and Lucas, and Peyton went through it high-school and I wanted to portray your story with truth, honesty, integrity." He explained. "You understand what I'm talking about with the book."

"Well…" she stopped him, "I've actually never read it" she revealed.

"Really?" he was surprised by that.

"Yeah. You know, when I was living in New York, it would have been too painful to read it, with everything that had went down, and with Bella." She explained, as she moved to the couch and sat down. "But then when I moved here, it was like I just suddenly started dating Lucas again, and there was no point to reading it. I didn't want to open old wounds."

Julian followed her over and sat down next to her. "Well truth be told, I only read the book because of Peyton, but…" he paused briefly, "I related to it because of you."

Brooke stared at him. It was like her heart was melting at that moment. She wanted to stop this feeling…yet, she loved this feeling at the same time.

"But I'm a little confused on one thing in the book. Lucas doesn't mention Bella in it. Was it to protect her? Or because you didn't want her in it? Because all it says that you left and it seemed like you disappeared into the dead of night?" Julian wondered.

"Luke didn't know about her when he wrote the book" she disclosed.

"You didn't tell him?"

She lightly shook her head, "Nope."

"So you left when you were in high school?"

"Uh-huh. I left without telling anyone that I was pregnant," She answered, "And I got so much criticism because for it."

"So you left because of who? Lucas? Peyton?" Julian questioned. Brooke took a moment before answering the question, for the first time in a while; pondering the question. "Honestly, it was probably both. My friendship with Peyton was falling apart at the seams, and Lucas and I were at a really bad place."

"So if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you tell Lucas about Bella?" Julian asked.

"I think that it was just a really bad time to tell him. I mean, literally, two weeks after I found out, there was a shooting at our school. So with Luke's uncle dying and Peyton being shot, it was just bad timing." Brooke explained, "But then after things had started to settle down, I did start to notice little things going on between Lucas and Peyton. I realized that he was in love with her, and it was something that I denied for the longest time."

Brooke then stopped for a moment. She was trying to figure out all her emotions. But at the same time, it felt good for her to finally be able to talk about all everything that had gone on, and that she'd been dealing with. Before when she was dating Lucas, she could only talk to him a little about it.

"So one day, I just acknowledged it, and that's when I decided to move on."

"And that's when you left?"

"Yep." She replied, then stated bitterly, "And then I was forced to go to my mother for help, and trust me; she reminds me of it every day."

Julian looked at her with understanding. "Yeah well, I have one of those too." He said. Brooke looked at him surprised, "You have an evil bitch mother?"

"No, a perennially disappointed father" he corrected.

"Oh" she sighed with sympathy.

"I took my mom's last name so I could make it on my own, but time and again, I go back to my dad for help, and time and again, he makes me feel like a failure." He told. Brooke looked at him with understanding.

"But one of these days…" he trailed off. Brooke smiled and held up her glass of water, "Well here's to that day. And maybe I can help you get there with my designs."

Julian smiled and clinked his glass of water. As he was looking at her, he couldn't figure out how Lucas could do the things that he did to her. Brooke was beautiful, strong, so full of love, and she did so many wonderful things. He had read about her in the novel hundreds of times, but even Lucas's words couldn't do her justice. Brooke Davis was…amazing.

* * *

It was dark outside by the time that Lucas and Nathan were heading back from the game. The two little kids had complained about leaving, stating that they weren't tired and didn't want to leave. Looking in the rearview mirror, Lucas smirked. Isabella and Jamie were sound asleep, leaning their heads against each other; each in their new Bobcats jerseys.

"I think they had fun." Lucas asserted.

"Yeah. It was a fun night." Nathan agreed, then smirked "Remember how six years ago we made this trip. Just us. Now look at us, we took our own kids down here." He paused, "You know what's strange—it's like it's hard for me to remember my life the time before Jamie. I don't know, its weird." He trailed off.

"No, I get what you're saying" Lucas acknowledge, "It's the same for me with Isabella. It's like the last year has flown by."

"The next six months will, with Brooke being pregnant. Trust me, when Haley was pregnant, it went by so fast—And I just want to say that I think you're doing a great job with Bella" Nathan said.

"Really?" Lucas asked skeptically, "Cause sometimes I think I'm screwing her up. With all the mess I created with Brooke…" he trailed off.

"No man, I'm serious. I've seen the way you are with Izzy. You're a great dad to her. Look at how you took her all the way down here to Charlotte for a Bobcats game, just because you felt bad that she broke her arm." He remarked.

"Thanks" Lucas smiled, "and I think that you're doing a great job with Jamie."

Nathan turned and looked back at his sleeping son, silently smiling with pride as he did. Then he looked over at his niece.

"You know I can remember that when I was about their age, Keith took me to a Bobcats game." Lucas divulged, "It was Keith, my mom and I, and we all went to Charlotte and that was the best night of my life. And then after the game, Keith took me into the gift shop and bought me my first jersey. I was six-years-old." He smiled, thinking back on the memory.

"Did you know that Dan never me to do stuff like this." Nathan revealed.

"What?" he asked, looking surprised?

"No" Nathan shook his head. "Dan never took me to out to professional basketball games, or just out on like, a father son trip. It was always about my games." He explained, thinking back on what a terrible father Dan was. That is why when he had Jamie, he promised to be a hundred times better dad than he was.

Then he continued. "You know my mom actually planned a family vacation for us once. It was to California. Disneyland. It was all set up to go but then Dan found out that there was a basketball camp that week, so he made my mom cancel the trip, and he sent me to this god-awful place. You remember when we used to place against those Pinkerington Hicks? Yeah—the camp was just like that. I was ten and after that camp, I kinda started to resent playing basketball."

"Wow, man. That sucks, I'm sorry." He would have never of thought that it was like that for Nathan.

"Actually, I was always a little jealous of you."

"Me?" Lucas's voice went up an octave, "Come on, you were Dan's golden boy!" he said. Nathan laughed, but then turned serious. "No honestly, I wouldn't have admitted it when I was younger but I was always jealous of you. What a great relationship you had with Keith"

When he finished talking, Lucas's mind was drifting back on Keith. God, he missed him. He wished that he was still with him. There was so much he wanted to talk to him about, so much advice he wished he could have. Keith seemed to have the best answers, knowing what to say and how to react to different situations. If only he could still talk to his uncle.

* * *

"So can I get you anything else to drink?" Brooke asked, gesturing towards Julian's glass. "I have some juice boxes in the fridge, or…?"

Julian grinned. "I'd love to, but I should probably get going." He said, leaning forward and placing his glass on the coffee table. "Um, this was nice, Brooke."

"Yes, it was." She agreed, as she too leaned forward, setting her glass on the table. Looking over at him, she sighed. "Julian, what was this?"

"Um…we should probably just say that is was, what it was, because anything else gets complicated." He answered.

"Perfect." Brooke nodded. Julian stared at her for a moment. God, she was beautiful. Ever since he met her a few months ago, he just thought that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "We should do this again"

Brooke furrowed her brow, "do what again?" she asked.

"We should do _this_ again, you know, talking and hanging out…and maybe next time we could go out to dinner or something?" he grinned, putting the question he'd be dying to say, out there.

Brooke sighed as she continued to hold his gaze. A part of her really wanted to say yes to his question because quite frankly, she was beginning to have some feelings for Julian. She didn't know how long she'd been feeling them, but they were definitely strong tonight as they were sitting there on the couch.

But another part of her was holding back. Everything in her life was so complicated right now. Between Isabella, and dealing with Lucas, and now the pregnancy. Would dating complicate that?

"Julian, I don't if that would work" Brooke said.

"Why?"

"Because…I'm pregnant."

"Oh…" Julian's face dropped a little. "So that explains the 'no wine'?"

Brooke lightly laughed, "Um, yeah."

"And its Lucas's?" he asked.

Brooke nodded. "Yep."

"Oh, I see. So you and Lucas are back together-" he assumed but Brooke quickly cut him off, "What! No, no, no." she rushed to say. "Lucas and I are still broken up, and trust me—I don't think that we're getting back together."

Julian was silent for a moment, then his face turned to confusion. "I'm sorry but I don't understand. If you're not with Lucas, then why can't you go on a date with me?"

"You'd still want to go out with me even though I'm pregnant, and on top of that have a daughter?" Brooke asked, then mumbled "Most guys would be out the door at the word 'kid'."

Julian grinned. "Well I'm not like most guys."

Brooke smiled at him. Damn, that grin was sexy! She glanced up and met his eyes. She held his gaze for what seemed like hours, as she was moved closer towards him; their bodies only inches apart. Her heart was racing, and as she explored his facial features, an indescribable feeling wash over her. And then without hesitation, she moved closer…

KNOCK, KNOCK!

A knock at the door brought them out of the moment. Glancing over at the door, Brooke suddenly remembered who it was. Shit! She had forgot that Lucas was bringing Isabella back tonight.

Julian also turned his eyes to the door, "Who's th-"

"Lucas." Brooke answered the question before he could get it out. "Uh, he had Bella tonight." She rushed to say, as she stood up.

"Um, I should get going." He said for the second time that night, standing up as well. "But I was serious about what I said, Brooke. I would really like to do this again."

"Me too." She smiled in agreement.

They heard another knock on the door along with a "Brooke!" So she moved to open the door, and she saw Lucas standing there with Isabella asleep in his arms. "Hey Luke."

"Hi Brooke" he said, then glancing over; he realized that Julian was there. What the hell was Julian doing over here? It was ten o'clock at night. No business meeting lasted this late!

Jealous rages were starting to overtake him but he took a few calming breaths. "Uh, Hi Julian." He said as if he demanded an explanation for his being there.

"Luke." Julian greeted, then he looked at Brooke. "Uh, I'll talk with you later so we can figure it out."

"Yeah." She said shortly, though she was sure that she was blushing.

"Bye Brooke." He said, making his way out the door.

"Bye." She then turned her attention to Lucas and her sleeping daughter. "So you can figure out what?" Lucas questioned.

"It's nothing—here, I'll take her up." She extended her arms out.

"Brooke, I can take her-"

"No, trust me. I can do it." She said firmly, reaching for her daughter. She needed a moment to get away from Lucas; she just needed to clear her head. So many things had gone on tonight. So she took Isabella from his arms, and carried her up the stairs.

Once she got in the room, she grabbed a pair of pajamas out of the dresser and carried Isabella over to the bed. Years of being a mom had taught her how to maneuver around with a sleeping child in her arms. Brooke placed her on the bed and gently took off her jacket.

Isabella started to stir as she was changing her. "M-mommy" she mumbled.

"Shh, baby. Mama's just changing you into your jammies. Go back to sleep" Brooke soothed softly, putting the nightgown over her head.

"Mama, I-I saw Rufus." She muttered sleepily.

"Huh?" she questioned. What was her daughter talking about? After getting her arms through the nightgown, Brooke glanced down and realized that her daughter was leaning against her arm; asleep.

As she finished changing her daughter, her mind drifted back on tonight. She almost kissed Julian! And she agreed to a date with him! Was she ready for this? Could she handle dating again all while being pregnant with Lucas's child and having to co-parent with him?

But at the same time, she couldn't help but smile when she thought of Julian. He was such a nice guy. He was so caring, and understanding, and damn, that grin was sexy! Plus he was great with her kid, which was hard to find in a guy.

Her mind was clouded as she lifted Isabella up and placing her under the covers. Putting her stuffed bunny next to her and pulling up the covers, Brooke gave her daughter a kiss. "Night baby."

Leaving the room, Brooke went back downstairs to Lucas. "Hey" she smiled, "So it looks like she had fun tonight."

"Uh, yeah. It was a great time at the game. She and Jamie had a lot of fun."

"Good." She said. It was a quiet for a moment, and it was a little awkward between them.

"So your doctor's appointment tomorrow?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah."

"And it's at 11:00, right?" he asked, wanting to make sure. This was the first appointment that he going to be at and he wanted to _be there_.

"No, it got moved to 3:00." Brooke corrected, "They called today. I meant to tell you"

"Oh, it's fine." He stated, putting his hands in his pockets. "Alright, well I should get going." He said. Brooke nodded, "Ok."

Lucas opened the door, "I'll see you tomorrow, Brooke."

"Bye." She said. When the door closed, Brooke turned back; facing her house. Tonight had been exciting, and confusing, and exhilarating. It was like she was ready to move on and start a relationship. The thought of a fresh start in a relationship sounded so refreshing. But as she rubbed her hand over her stomach, she couldn't help but think of Lucas. This _was_ his baby, and they already had a daughter together. It was all just conflicting emotion and feelings. What was she ready for?

 **Again guys, sorry that this update took so long. I hope to never go this long without an update. To make it up to you guys, I'll give you a little insight on the next chapter. The next chapter will be about the doctor's appointment and it will reveal what Brooke is having (Girl, Boy, Twins?). Remember to cast your votes on what you want her to have!**

 **And check out my Tumblr (joylaughdream) for one-shots and sneak peeks for this story. I'll also be posting an Author's note where I'll give an insight about how I'm going to end this story (still not for a while though)**

 **Anyways, Remember to Review! ;)**


	26. A Note to my Readers

Hey Guys!

I am truly, _truly_ sorry that I don't have an update. I honestly wish I did but I'm sorry to say that I don't. I feel like I owe you guys an explanation to my absence on here:

This summer has kicked me down and hit me like a bag of bricks. I have maybe written 2000 words of the next chapter over the last 8 weeks. I haven't had it in me to write and I've lost a lot of my momentum because this summer has been the worst for me. During this summer, I watched my best friend lose his fight to cancer. His sickness was unexpected and it came on quickly. It has been hard for me because he was my best friend for the majority of my life, and he brought so much joy to my heart.

So I apologizes for not having a chapter for you guys to read. I am hoping to get back into the swing of writing again. I just feel terrible because you guys have been awesome readers, reviews, and supporters.

I want to make it up to you guys somehow. I thought about posting the chapter I have written so far. It will be about the doctor's appointment and finding out if Brooke's having a boy, girl, or twins. I have taken the reviews I've received into consideration and I hope you all with be happy with the reveal.

I warn you though, the chapter won't be that long. Maybe 3000 words if I'm lucky, and it would probably be posted at the end of this week or sometime in the next. Or I can wait until I have written more, but it will probably be about a month. It's up to you guys to decide. I just feel bad for my lack of writing, and I hope I haven't lost readers. This story is _so_ important to me. It has been the first story I have _truly_ connected with, and I just want to make it perfect.


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